The Last Horcrux: War Rising
by Farai V1
Summary: AU in which Harry had no sons: Ginny and Lilly Potter were killed after the war. That kind of event devastated Harry, turned him cold and distant. Now after three years of working for the Ministry, old enemies start resurfacing. One of them Harry is determined to stop, and it isn't even Voldemort, who is most likely still alive. Harry/FEM!Draco. It's a Harry Harem! REVISED 2017!
1. At Our Lowest

_**Hey, my fellow fan fiction lovers! I'm finally writing a story! Okay then, since the Harry Potter fandom is swamped with hundreds of thousands of fan fiction known to man, I'm not gonna hold my breath and say that what I'm attempting is unique in any sort of way. Actually, I'm pretty sure at least **_**someone**_** had the same train of thought that I did. But, I hope it's original where it counts.**_

_**There are conditions and rules for the Harry Potter world I'm creating:**_

_**1\. This will definitely not be canon from the get-go. It's a pretty dark tale from the start.**_

_**2\. Some character will seem a bit OOC in some instances.**_

_**3\. Human trafficking and slave trade exists, albeit in the black markets. (HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND SLAVERY IS WRONG AND I DO NOT CONDONE IT!)**_

_**4\. There are laws permitted to allow the Head of a noble House to have more than one spouse. In this case, our primary protagonist, Harry (Who is the Head of House Potter and House Black), can have more than one wife. The same applies for Head of House women, who can have more than one husband. That is not to say that you'll be seeing harems left, right and centre. **_

_**5\. Draco Malfoy will be a woman in this story. I find keeping her given name limits alienation from the original Malfoy, so Draco's name remains Draco. She still has the male Draco's attitude(It makes writing her more fun filled). But remember, she has a female mind this time around.  
**_

_**6\. Harry's romantic interests will be vast in choice, but limited. I tried to make a mass harem story before I posted here... It didn't work out too well - too many characters.**_

_**7\. The Wizarding World has**_** bo****th**_** a level world (Normal, what we know) and an 'underworld' (Like caves with entire villages, towns and cities in them - powered by a magical 'sun'). Among these are many other worlds that will be touched on.**_

_**8\. Since Voldemort was killed, I came at a roadblock about an antagonist to put in. I can't keep Voldemort fully alive for various complications, but I've decided to allow one Horcrux to remain existent.**_

_**9\. This story has a very dark atmosphere and tone. Some may find that it isn't to your taste. No problemo, dudes, plenty of other 'fluffy' fics out there.**_

_**10\. Some characters (Who JK killed off - really JK, Tonks?), will be alive in this story.**_

_**11\. Nothing in this story (the setting, the characters, or the plot) will be changed unless I see it fit. You guys can point out any grammatical/spelling errors. I'll aim fervently to fix those.**_

_**12\. This story will not be too long (approximately 23 Chapters) and will not be updated too quickly, but it will not be abandoned.**_

_**13\. Enjoy and review!**_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its characters, nor do I make any profit from writing this story. Harry Potter is owned by JK Rowling.**

**REVISED ON 2017/03/22**

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**CHAPTER 1: AT OUR LOWEST**

A tall man stood in front of a door. It was worn out and shrouded partially in darkness. The area surrounding it was less than pleasurable. The walls were cluttered with scribbles and spray paint. The words "Free Whore" and "Live Meat!" stood out painfully from the tarnished wood.

The man shook his head. As expected from a place like this.

He knocked four times. The last knock was drawled. He took a step back when he heard locks being handled. There was a square hole near the top of the door; it openly harshly. Angry eyes pierced through the open space.

"Name?" asked the man behind the door.

"... Harry Potter."

The eyes widened. "Oh, by Merlin, It's really you, Mr Potter!"

"Cut the chit-chat and open the door," Harry commanded.

The other man seemed nervous. "I, uhh..."

"I know all about what's going on here. I'm not going to report anything. I want 'livestock'," Harry muttered, his green eyes void of any innocence they used to be known for - spectacles absent as well.

If he had any doubts about why Harry was really here, they all went through the window when he heard the young man say the code: _livestock_.

"I see, give me a moment."

There was the sound of latches coming loose. After a few seconds, the door fully opened.

Harry was greeted with the sight of a half-giant. He had broad shoulders, a bald cap, and looked a little dirty. He wore a green indigo shirt, brown pants and black shoes. His form screamed of a typical masculinity vision.

"Name's Greggory, come in before anyone sees you," the burly man spoke, easily making way for the new guest.

Harry entered without a word. He immediately took in the foul stench of the place. It literally reeked of blood and death. The walls were peeled off in places; the entire building seemed surrounded by cages and locked rooms; dirt and fluids subtly splashed against his boots. This was in no way a humane place to live.

But it didn't mean _nothing_ was here either.

"Would you like me to take that cloak off your hands?" Greggory offered.

Harry briefly glanced at his black cloak.

"No," was the cold response.

Greggory shrugged off the attitude and decided to get to what he wanted to say.

"Mr Potter, we do appreciate you getting rid of the Dark Lord and everything, but ever since then, you disappeared. No one has seen you for _years_. Heck, man, I'm probably the first person to-"

"No, you're not," Harry cut off, "nor will you be the last. Now, let's get down to business."

Greggory swallowed at his seriousness. Wasn't the Boy-who-lived a kind individual? It must have been something that happened in the war. Yes, that made sense. War changes everyone's perspective. But...to come here of all places. The guy must have been through some rough stuff.

"Certainly, follow me."

Greggory began to strut past cages, Harry was quick to follow, albeit at a distance.

"So, is this business or pleasure?" Greg asked.

"Both," Harry replied.

"Look, I don't know what happened to you, but are you sure you want to be involved in something like this? You're a hero, kid, and I don't think it's right for you to do this."

Usually, the half-giant wouldn't bother to talk to his customers in such a manner - truthfully, he could care less who came through the door. But this wasn't any ordinary individual; he was someone who risked his life for _all_ their sakes - even Greg, despite what wrongs he'd done, could appreciate that.

"Listen to me," Harry hissed, "I will do whatever I want to do. I'm just like any other person and I have my needs."

Greggory furrowed his brow. "Who told you about this place then?"

"... He preferred to remain anonymous."

Greg shrugged his shoulders. It was common practice that names were never exchanged, privacy and all that shit.

"Alright, well, we have a suitable selection for you, from werewolves to vampires, to elves."

Greg pointed at lined cages near the back of the building. "Those are for sale. Go ahead and pick what you like."

Harry nodded and walked to the cages.

He looked into the first that he approached. Hunched in a corner were two women and a young man, all wearing rags for clothes. They looked fearfully at him, their bodies shivering tremendously.

"Those are the werewolves," Greg said. "They seem docile now, but when they transform, they can be quite a handful."

"Can they speak?"

"Don't know, they never spoke to me - just growled and howled and stuff."

"How long have they been in here?"

"They're the newest shipment, so only a few weeks," Greg said, scratching the back of his head in itchy irritation.

"H-Harry Potter?" Harry swirled his head at the voice.

It was a woman who spoke. She was also in a cage, wearing torn attire. Her form was disarranged with cuts and bruises. She looked like she had been beaten, recently too.

"That's the only vampire we have. She's a feisty one, I'll give you that. She's always causing trouble and refusing to follow orders. Tell you what, if you want her, I can sell her to you for 30 Galleons - pretty fair price, if you think about it."

"Is that really you, Harry? Please release us! I have urgent news for you!" she begged, placing both hands on the bar in awe and desperation.

Harry ignored her and walked on.

There were all sorts of semi-humans and creatures to choose from, among were cat girls to mermaids. They all had the same look of fear and longing. If they looked so eager to be purchased, Harry could only guess to their torture.

"So, you've seen what I have to offer. What do you say? I recommend the cat girls. They're always the best lay. I'm telling you, man, you will never get bored in bed. They always strive to satisfy their alpha male. I've got virgins too if you wanna break them in."

Harry looked critically at the large man. He opened his mouth to say something-

Cough! Cough!

The two men paused. Harry looked at the back wall.

"Is there something inside that wall?"

Greg glanced to where Harry gestured. He frowned disapprovingly. "It's nothing you need to worry yourself with."

Harry's gaze was transfixed, however. "Is it a slave?"

"Well, yeah, but it ain't for sale," Greg said, a little too forcefully.

Harry's striking glare landed on him again. "I have millions of Galleons at my disposal. If it's to my liking, then you can have just as much."

Greg's frown never left his face. "I'm not saying it's not for sale because it's special or anything. I'm saying this because it's useless."

"Then at least show me what 'it' is," Harry coaxed, challenging the man to argue.

Greg gave up. What was the point if it was The Boy-who-lived? He was pretty persistent to get a slave, though. Even diplomats and nobles showed more restraint when it came to what was offered.

Greg waved it off. Harry was still young.

He went to the back wall and bent down. He latched on to the bottom groove of the wooden surface beneath and began lifting it clean off the floor.

Harry's jade irises immediately connected with azure. It was like he was under a spell as he stared into two deep pools of lost innocence.

He was interrupted with a hand on his chest gently pushing him back. "Woah, watch it, Mr Potter!"

Harry snapped out of his daze. "What?"

"She's a Veela, although a very sick one," Greg stated.

Harry looked at the girl again - sick was an understatement. The little thing looked extremely thin. Harry had never seen anything so fragile in his entire life. The coughs she made seemed to make her look worse. Her blonde hair was dirty, to the point that it appeared brown. The clothes on her couldn't protect her from any cold. It was a dreadful site.

But Harry stared, indifferent.

"Her Veela abilities have no effect on me, so you can relax, Greggory," Harry said.

Greg was still sceptical. "And how-"

"Wards, I made hundreds all over my body and mind," Harry revealed.

Was that even possible, Greg thought. Creating wards on your body, hundreds, was hard enough, but your mind? It sounded ridiculous... painful.

"I... see," Greg finally said.

"Can she talk?" Harry said, approaching the defenceless girl.

"Yeah, but she doesn't much. What's your name, girly?!"

"... E-Eclair, s-sir," she rasped, struggling to stifle her wracking coughs. Her head was bowed in obvious submission.

The cage she was in looked rusted and un-kept. It was pretty dirty all around.

Harry turned to Greg again.

"How old is she?" Potter asked.

"She looks ten or twelve, I think, but I heard Veelas age quickly, so I'm not sure. Look, man, just forget about her. She's not going to make it anyway and I don't wanna waste my time looking for some doctor. It's a shame, though. She would have made for a pretty penny if she was okay."

Harry continued to stare at the little girl. It seemed truly cruel to actually sell anyone for profit, especially children, but this was the harsh reality of the Wizarding World, a world where there were infinite possibilities.

Greg made to close the wall, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. The big man sighed. "Mr Potter, she's dead weight. She won't amount to anything, even her own family sold her off. It's best that you forget about her. She'll be dead in about a week anyway."

"It doesn't really matter because, by order of the Ministry, you're under arrest for trafficking, Greggory Dinkins."

"Wait... what?!" Greg stuttered.

He turned quickly, trying to clarify if what he heard the young wizard say was true.

"Aurors!" Harry called.

Immediately, the place was flooded with bodies clad in black robes, wands firmly pointed at the target.

Greggory was too surprised to move. Never would he have thought Harry Potter worked for the Ministry. The armed enforcers swiftly cuffed him and forced him to accompany them.

"Tend to the people caged. Get them out of here," Harry ordered.

"Yes, sir!" they chorused.

While the individuals were being released from their cages, Harry turned back to the Veela.

She looked at him in complete shock and surprise. She also had a mixture of longing and adoration, as if his act of saving them meant something meaningful to her. Suddenly, she started to cough violently, blood spilling out of her mouth.

Harry's monotonous gaze never wavered as he watched her. He seemed unmoved. "Annabelle, medical check, now!"

"Yes, sir," a brunette woman squeaked, rushing to the prone Veela.

She hastily ran her wand up and down the girl's body. Once she turned back to Harry, her face was grim.

"It's a virus, sir. Identification: unknown."

"What do you mean unknown?" Harry inquired.

"I'm sorry, sir, I've never analysed a Veela before. It could be anything."

"Her condition?"

"Critical, it will be impossible to apparate her to our medical ward. Plus, given our distance... she won't make it."

"So, it's worse than I thought," Harry surmised. "I'll handle it, bring her to me."

Annabelle obeyed and gently laid Eclair on the ground.

Harry rummaged in his coat. "Symptoms."

"High fever, blood loss, accumulated sweat, malnutrition... the list goes on, sir," Annabelle supplied.

"There isn't any other way, I'll have to apply a seal to her system. It should heal most diseases-"

"At the cost of most of your magic!" Annabelle yelled, looking like the very thought distressed her.

Harry didn't respond and took out a potion from his pocket. He knelt down and made Eclair drink it. The girl immediately rejected the substances.

"Sir, please don't, this could kill you!" Annabelle cried.

Harry brought his hand to the little girl's chest and applied healing magic. "The fact that it's working means she at least swallowed some of the potion."

It had to be the worst slop he'd ever created, but it did the trick. It allowed the victim's body to be temporary accepting to any kind of magic. This would allow him to place a seal that connected them to each other on a magical level, further allowing his magic to transfer into the girl's body. He didn't use it often, though. This was very dangerous stuff, and no one else but him knew the recipe. Because if anything didn't go as planned, it could be fatal to the one using it.

He had almost proved it once before.

Best it be kept _that_ way.

Once done, he removed his hand off Eclair as soon as he saw a purple circle manifest on the Veela's chest. This would allow him an open connection with Eclair, allowing most of his magic to transfer into her. She was already fast asleep, looking a little healthier than before, but she was still achingly skinny.

"It's... done," Harry breathed out. Powerful magic like this always took its toll on him. He felt utterly exhausted. He needed to sleep.

He looked at the little Veela another time. It was probably the worst thing that could happen to her. Taking her to an orphanage would be disastrous. Offering her to parents would also lead to ruin...

All because of her Allure.

It was her greatest benefit and also her worst asset. Her Allure would allow people to be attracted to her, but realistically speaking, not in a good way. It wouldn't be real. Her life would be filled with jealousy, manipulation, and betrayal.

Harry wasn't really the one for empathy. Sure, he sympathised with victims of crime, but it wasn't as if he could relate or even care what happened to them. Usually, he was just doing his job and that was that...

Except, now, he _felt_ uneasy.

This was the first time, in a _long_ time, that he felt anything towards anyone. He didn't know what to make of it. Eclair was just some random stranger, but she definitely stirred something within him, something he never thought he would feel again, although he still couldn't really place the feeling. Why was he thinking too much? It wasn't like the child was more special than the hundreds of kids he'd already saved from slavery. She shouldn't matter to him. So why was he so damn anxious all of a sudden?

If he was right, Eclair would possibly be sold into slavery again. Veelas didn't really have a place in the world without people that unconditionally cared and loved them. Additionally, they were the most likely to emotionally go unstable and transform into harpy-like creatures. The fact that Eclair hadn't already lost her sanity and turned perplexed him.

She could be offered to other Veelas, even finding her parents would be prudent. But with limited knowledge and time, Harry didn't think it was such a good idea yet.

So, he was stuck. Basically, the girl had no one to turn to, and no one to really trust. Her Allure would be her continued downfall.

Harry didn't like what his mind was concluding.

Firstly, he wasn't affected by Veela 'powers'... but that didn't mean he was a suitable guardian. It wasn't as if he wanted to protect her either.

He had been through a lot of shit after the war. It changed him into a shell of himself. Attachments were unnecessary to him. He didn't need anyone.

_No_ one.

"She'll be fine," Harry finally said. "She's just sleeping. She'll need to start eating properly to gain back her body mass, but it should be possible in time."

Annabelle looked relieved that he hadn't used up too much of his magic, but she was still somewhat vexed that he ignored her warnings, _again_.

"Okay, sir, I'll take her to our medical ward-"

"It's fine, I'll hand it."

Annabelle looked it him in astonishment. Since when did he ever want to help with clean up?

"Harry, I can't believe you didn't tell me about this!" Ron screamed, marching into the pungent building. He ignored everyone else, aiming to confront The Boy-who-lived.

Harry sighed, picked up Eclair and started walking away.

"Enough of this, Harry!" Ron yelled, stopping Harry in his tracks by grabbing his shoulder. "Stop working yourself to the ground! You can't keep using the Special Ops to run away!"

"Ron, _leave_ me alone," Harry gritted out.

"Then stop ignoring us, mate! Do you know how worried Hermione is? Do you know how worried I am, you bloody idiot?!

Harry chose to ignore him again and continued walking away.

"Look, I'm sorry for blaming you. I didn't know!"

"No, you were right," Harry said frostily, never turning to face the redhead. "It was all my fault... Ginny and our baby died."

He walked out then. This time, Ron never tried to stop him.

The redhead palmed his forehead. "Bloody hell."

"Uh, Vice Commander Weasley?" an Auror called.

"Yes?" Ron answered, disgruntled.

"We need your help. The vampire is being restless. She could easily infect us, even without all the biting."

Ron looked at where Harry had left for a long while. He shook his head and focused. "Fine, I'll be there in a second."

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_**Hoped you enjoyed the teaser. Get ready for an epic tale. **_


	2. Harsh Memories

_**And here you are, the continuation. Enjoy!**_

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**CHAPTER 2: HARSH MEMORIES **

_"Harry, I'm sorry, I should have ran."_

_"Don't talk, Ginny! Save your strength!"_

_"I should have listened... I'm so sorry."_

_"Ginny, it's okay, I forgive you, so please hang in there!"_

_"Harry... Lily's dead."_

Harry's eyes shot open. He jerked in his chair, the image still quite fresh in his mind.

He wiped away the sweat from his forehead and took in his surroundings.

The hospital ward. More importantly, a room occupied by himself and a little body.

Those had been the worst, _crueller_, memories. The pain in his heart was indescribable. No matter what he did, it never went away. Losing them...it was just too much for him to comprehend.

He didn't like to think about it. In fact, he'd tried his best to _forget_. But it only made the pain worse. There wasn't anything he could do about his personal hell and he would be damned if he was pitied.

He had so many bad dreams before. They always forced him to wake up at night with cold sweats.

However, this time was vastly different. For starters, the sun illuminated the room through the area's only window, denoting that he had slept the entire night. Secondly, where his dreams would haunt him with vivid images of his family's murder, this time, the visions were blurred, and it didn't hurt as much as it usually did.

"You look absolutely pathetic."

Harry didn't turn to the person who spoke, but he did glower. "Fuck off, Malfoy."

Draco casually supported her back on a wall. She wore a dark green, _tight_ dress that went to her thighs and showed off her curvaceous figure and smooth legs, a necklace to accentuate a already budding cleavage and black heels that were fit to show off and walk in - most of her attire was enclosed by the standard Auror robe; she preferred to keep her long hair straight, pointing out to her delicate face and striking blue eyes.

She hadn't arrived until a few minutes ago. She did have half a mind to wake Harry up, but upon noticing his distressed posture, she actually...hesitated. So after deciding she really didn't give a shit, she settled for waiting for him to wake up.

"I'm very much surprised to see you here, _Commander_. I mean seriously, when have you ever stayed in the same place as your Aurors? You're _never_ around for too long and you're hardly seen. People still think you disappeared after the war, you know?"

Her only answer was stiff silence.

She seemed nonplussed as she sauntered near him. "You know, I really can't stand that fact that you, Potter, are my commanding officer and me, a Malfoy, have to be stuck as Vice Commander with that stupid Weasley.

"Then take it with Bill," Harry spat, obviously not in the mood for anyone's company.

"Still upset, are we? I thought you would have gotten over the fact that _filthy_ Weasley of a wi-"

Draco was shoved brutally against the wall. After she regained her bearings, she could feel the tip of a wand on her chin. She looked up into the taller man's eyes and her own widened.

Harry looked absolutely dangerous.

"I don't give a shit what you have against the Weasleys, but if you _dare _insult my wife, even Merlin won't save your soul."

For her part, Draco kept a cool outer disposition, but on the inside, she could feel a little fear rising. It wasn't anything new to the Special Ops Aurors that Harry had changed...drastically. After what happened to Ginny, most were surprised that he was still working and not drowning himself in Fire-Petal beer.

To those that didn't really know him, they'd be shocked to realise that this malicious individual was indeed The Boy Who Lived. But to Draco, she cognized him a lot better.

He had a hell of a life. He practically grew up alone, and when he finally had people to care for, when he finally had people to give his heart to, they were snatched away from him again and again.

Everyone knew this, but...only she could understand what it felt like to be useless to it all.

She didn't really care for him on a _friendly_ level, but she grudgingly acknowledged that he did save her life _many_ times before, even when they _still_ hated each other.

"I'd be careful if I were you," Draco whispered, her voice as melodic as the sweetest tune. "If people were to realise that you would result to harming your fellow subordinates, it wouldn't be pretty for your image."

"Then get out of my sight!" Harry growled. He wasn't in the mood for anyone's shit, especially a bitch like Draco.

Her cold eyes bored into his. Harry was surprised stiff with the intensity. "So this is how the famous Harry Potter spends his days - feeling absolutely sorry for himself. I hated you in Hogwarts, but I absolutely can't _stand_ you now."

He looked ridiculous. He looked like he didn't give a damn how he presented himself these days. His form was ragged, inconsistent - even his Auror robe seemed too dignified for him.

She easily brushed passed him, her silky blonde hair gliding along his cheek, and walked to the only bed in the room.

"Your friends are beside themselves at what to do. I really shouldn't care but I'm _sick_ and _tired_ of hearing that stupid Ronald _whine_ and _complain_!"

She took a seat at the nearest chair, the one Harry had originally occupied and huffed in irritation. "Why can't you just grow up?"

Harry was on her in an instant. "Listen to me, you _scumbag_, you can never understand what I'm going through! And you if you want to fight me, bitch, then all you have to do is ask!"

Draco graciously rose from the chair, never taking her eye of his. Her slow movements made her look polished, royal.

To Harry's surprise, she brought a hand and tenderly caressed his cheek.

"What would Ginny think of what you've become?" Draco softly inquired - both her and Harry were surprised with how gentle she sounded.

Harry froze when he felt Draco's soothing touch. An alien chill went up his spine as she caressed him so..._lovingly_. He had never thought someone as infuriating as Malfoy could be capable of compassion...

No, this wasn't compassion. She was mocking him.

He slapped her hand away, and audible clap resonated in the room.

Harry saw Draco's eyes flash briefly. It was too quick to tell what the emotion was, but soon enough, the old Malfoy came rearing her ugly head.

She looked_ very_ pissed; she looked to shout at him, but huffed and turned her back towards him.

That behaviour _completely_ abashed Harry, and it wasn't the first time he had seen Malfoy act oddly _affectionate_ towards him. He'd always played it off as Malfoy being a vindictive Slytherin. And now was no different.

Draco glared at the bed; her hands were latched on the railings, trying to cease her body from shaking. She mentally admonished herself _severely_. Why the fuck did she do these stupid things!? Was is to mess with him? Yes, yes, that's the reason, the bitch in her said ...so why did she always feel so...so...hurt?

"So why are you here, _Potter_?"

Harry hadn't noticed the extra venom she added to his name. She actually took the words right out of his mouth. Truthfully, he had no idea why he was in a hospital room. He had been exhausted after tending to the Veela girl that he couldn't remember even sleeping.

He just looked around, trying to find something that would explain his reasoning for staying in the Ministry's hospital ward.

Draco huffed, so he was giving her the silent treatment, huh? Well, fuck him anyway!

It would have helped if she had actually turned around and realised that Harry was as lost as she was.

She riveted on the bed and finally noticed the little blonde girl. In her own rage, she didn't even see her? It was all Potter's fault - stupid git.

"And who do we have here?" Draco interrogated, finally facing him.

"She's a victim of slave trafficking and a Veela," Harry found himself answering. If it was about a job, he saw no room for secrecy with a colleague.

Draco stared at him for a long moment.

It didn't take long for Harry to become annoyed under her scrutiny. "What's your problem?"

"At the moment, you," Draco answered. Her eyes, weirdly enough, searched his - even Harry failed to see an angle. In a second, she sighed in exasperation. "Since when have you cared about these victims? Every time there's a job like this, you just do it and _disappear_ to Merlin knows where. But now, for the first time I'm aware of, you've shown more interest in this child than even your own friends - just you being here proves it."

Perceptive little bitch, wasn't she? But she was wrong in her assumption. He was here purely by coincidence - nothing more.

Draco observed the sleeping child once again. She looked underweight. She wouldn't be the first in that predicament. Was it because she was a Veela? No, Harry had done some... measures on his mind to ensure nothing like that could ever happen. So why was she so special that he actually slept in the same room as her?

Something wasn't right about this.

"You're looking too into it, Malfoy," Harry said perilously. "But I don't have to explain anything to the likes of you."

"Perhaps you're right," Draco lamented, but it was still something to store for later.

"Why are you here?" Harry demanded. There was no way Draco would go out of her way just to seek him out.

And he was right. "Our superiors have summoned you for a meeting."

"... Alone?"

Draco raised a brow in suspicion. "Yes, and you better hurry, you're late."

Harry silently cursed, so they were finally going to corner him. After realising what Draco had said, he withered at her. "Why didn't you tell me this sooner?!"

Draco barely shrugged, offering a cheeky smile. "I felt like wasting your time."

Harry had half a mind to cast a curse on her but settled for storming out of the room and banging the door on his way out.

Draco waited a few minutes after he left for her smile to teeter. Her face soured and she looked at her delicate hands. She often questioned if she regretted what she had become. Nobody really liked her, those who did didn't stick around very long.

When she was in Hogwarts, it easier to flaunt her status around, _force_ people to acknowledge her presence. Now, though, the Malfoy name wasn't treated with much respect.

She had planned to live a normal life after Voldemort was killed. Her family had played it cleverly, pulling out and hiding before The Battle of Hogwarts took place - or, at least, that's what the platinum blonde had thought.

For some reason, word got out about her family's involvement with Voldemort and her as a Death Eater. Her royal privileges couldn't save her from being arrested by Aurors.

Bill Weasley was entrusted by Minister Scrimgeour to be her judge. She stood there, in front of accusing eyes, waiting for her fate. She thought that was it for her. She thought that she was going to prison, or worse.

But...Bill had other ideas. He had pulled her into a dark room and told her to sit down. There had been a pregnant pause. Draco questioned whether she was going to be killed on the spot or tortured.

Weasley wasn't a normal individual, it seemed. He took out a huge stack of paper and asked her to read it. She had done so and reeled in shock.

There were files upon files of criminals and criminal activity. She had looked at him so lost that she couldn't tell up from down.

Bill explained his motives. The Ministry had granted him access to create an enforcement directorate made up of a selected few of Aurors. However, they limited who he could choose. Asking the professional Aurors, the ones who had been doing this job for far too long, proved useless. They didn't share his vision of limiting themselves to a small service structure.

So Bill opted for a fresh approach - the recruitment of young and skilled witches and wizards. Bill further elaborated that Draco was among the people he wished to add.

She had been floored. She stared at him in utter bewilderment. Wasn't she a criminal? Was he mad?

Bill told her that the charges laid against her and her parents would be erased if she agreed to join his 'team' for an allocated period of time.

After some time of thinking, she did just that. But she would have never known her place, and that Harry...

She shook her head. There wasn't any need to entertain the past, but she still sighed forlornly.

"I'm getting sick of this."

She made to leave the room, but a little hand grabbing her own stopped her.

She turned her head, noting the little child yawning and sleepily looking at her.

"Where's Mister?" she hesitantly asked, looking adoringly at the blonde woman.

Even though she was a little unnerved with a little girl looking at her like she was her mother, Draco frowned at her. "Mister? You'll have to be more specific, girl."

"The man who saved me," she clarified.

Oh, Draco knew exactly who she was talking about, and felt like palming her face. What was wrong with that Potter?

* * *

"Could you run that by me again?" Harry asked, voice soft.

"You are hereby given two weeks leave, Harry. It's to your benefit after all. You can't work all the time, and it's already been a year _non-stop_," Bill said. He was seated with Minister Scrimgeour in a small conference room painted in a dull grey.

Harry stood in the middle of the room, silently hoping above all hope that what he was hearing was a joke.

"After discussing this with Bill, we thought it will be best to allow you time to rest and unwind. Don't worry about anything, there's plenty of Special Op Aurors to assist in the current crime system."

Are you nuts, he wanted to scream. A break? Crime didn't stop for anyone!

"And if I _humbly_ refuse?" Harry subtly put out, but even Bill noticed that he was seething.

"It's non-negotiable, Harry. After two weeks, you can come back to duty."

"I don't need to _rest_! I'm perfectly fine with what I'm doing."

Bill and Rufus exchanged a nervous glance, but it was Bill who decided to continue. "Even so, it isn't _healthy_ to be in a working environment all the time."

"And where the hell do you think I would be if I'm not doing this? You think I have anything waiting for me at home?" Harry spat.

Harry saw a twinkle in Bill's eye. It was then he realised he played right into some sort of trap. "Well, Harry, I wouldn't call that shoddy apartment home, but don't you worry, I'm sure something will come up. By the way, Hermione _insisted_ on paying you a visit tomorrow. Since you don't have any contingency plans, you should be there to keep her company, right?"

So that was their game. Harry wanted to swear the Weasley family. Why couldn't they just _leave him in peace_?! They always felt like meddling with his life when he didn't need it.

Taking the silence as acceptance, Bill beamed. "Excellent! I do hope that you _are_ home tomorrow. It would be a shame if you got _more_ visitors and they couldn't see you because of prior engagements."

Harry didn't miss the subtle warning to be there or else from the older Weasley. As if his day wasn't ruined enough.

He grudgingly nodded his head. It was just one day. At least they'll finally get off his back.

Rufus nodded as well. "Good then, you are dismissed, Harry."

Harry saluted and swiftly left the room.

Rufus looked at Bill in uncertainty. "You're sure this is a good idea?"

Bill massaged his scalp. "Had to be done. He's family and none of us can just sit back and watch him destroy himself. Sorry for calling you into this."

Rufus waved it off. "It's fine, Bill, I'm a family man myself; I know the importance. Do you think he realised it was all a farce?"

"Don't think so," Bill smiled, "I mean, did you see the look on his face?"

Harry threw his wand at the nearest wall. God dammit! It was always one thing after another. Did this world like screwing with him? What did he do to deserve this? Every single thing seemed to be aiming to make his life miserable.

"My, aren't we the angry wizard."

Harry hadn't noticed someone else in the hallway.

Draco continued to lean against a wall as Harry practically shot her curses. She'd seen him in a foul mood before, but to actually throw his wand?

Harry straightened himself and picked up his wand from the ground. "Listen, I don't have the time or energy to deal with you."

Draco kept her gaze blank. "Good for you, but I didn't just seek you out to ruffle your feathers. Come on."

She didn't wait for him to follow.

Harry shook his head as he watched her leave. Did everyone feel like pushing him around today? Considering she didn't say anything more, then it was something serious, so he followed.

He was a bit surprised when he found himself back in the same hospital room.

"See, kid, I brought him for you like I promised," Draco announced, rolling her eyes.

"Thanks, ma'am!"

Harry found himself staring into the same pools of blue from the night prior. The same alien feeling came again, and he forced himself to squash it. It didn't mean anything.

"Hello, sir," she said with a smile.

"Hello, Eclair," Harry greeted in kind.

Draco just leant on a wall and watched on. Who knew, maybe something interesting would happen?

"I wanted to thank you." She wanted to do more than that, but she was still quite weak. She didn't feel sick, though. In fact, she felt much better than she had yesterday - ever actually.

"No thanks are necessary - it's my job."

"Oh, c-can I hug you?"

"No."

"O-oh..."

Draco frowned at Harry's dispassion. She could understand his detached attitude directed at adults, but he was talking to a child _now_ and no child deserved to be treated like that.

Eclair felt awkward. She didn't know how to interact with someone as phlegmatic as Harry, but he did more for her than he realised. Anyone that came to buy slaves often ignored her and left her to die, and she had been semi-conscious when she heard a woman say she wouldn't make it. But Harry... did something to her. Even now, she felt strong power surging _within_ her. She didn't know what it meant, but it felt _absolutely_ amazing.

"What will happen to me?" she decided to ask.

"Either one of three options: You're sent to an orphanage, or you're put up for adoption right here, or we search for your parents and keep you here for the time being."

At the third option, Eclair whimpered, visibly upset. "P-Please no, they don't want me. I'm a bad girl to them, a bad girl."

Harry and Draco glanced at each other. That was _unexpected_.

Tears started bursting out of the little Veela. "They hate me!"

"We'll be the ones to decide that when we find them," Harry countered, causing Eclair to cry harder.

Draco had enough. "Merlin, Potter, that's not how you talk to a child!"

She hurried to the distressed girl's side and offered her arms. Eclair clung to her and cried on the woman's shoulder. Draco rubbed her in soothing circles, cooing all the while.

A few years ago, that would have _definitely_ freaked Harry out. Malfoy wouldn't have cared about anyone but herself or anyone else that was _pure-blooded_. But there was a period in time where she herself wanted to have children.

She had two husbands then, and both were willing servants for her horrible attitude. But soon they all came to a startling revelation.

Draco could _not_ have any children.

News like that eventually tore them apart, and sooner than later, Draco had two divorce papers at her doorstep. Her parents were very disappointed in realising that they could not have a blood heir. Their conversations when together were somewhat strained after that.

How did Harry know this? Why, the lovely Rita Skeeter of course! The lying bitch tore the Malfoy family a new one with a few of her articles. People usually didn't believe them, but to remain above the competition, other newspaper firms hounded down the Malfoy family for answers. And soon rumours rang true all around.

It was that type of thinking that a bile of pity would rise from his stomach. Hell, everyone probably pitied Draco, but she made sure it never stayed like that for long.

While unable to bear children, Draco had become much more... _empathetic_ towards children who didn't have anyone to love, or who were hurt in some way. It didn't even matter what sort of rank they were, royalty or not, rich or poor.

It was strange, Harry thought. He half-expected Draco to hate children, or at least _poor_ ones, just like she hated everything else.

"What's your name again?" Draco asked.

"Eclair," the girl sniffed.

"Eclair," Draco repeated. "We'll do what we can for you."

Eclair seemed hesitant to speak, but Draco coaxed.

"Can't," the little Veela swallowed, "can't you take me, please?"

Harry was surprised that the question was directed at him. He hid it well. "You don't know me."

"I'd like to get to know you!" she said a bit louder than she intended. There was a rising excitement in her eyes, like she thought he would consider it.

"No, I'm not guardian material."

Eclair's head dropped in bitter disappointment.

Fixing a quick glare to her idiot Commander, Draco soothed the down blonde. "Relax, okay? It's too early for anything."

Eclair nodded.

In these moments, Harry always struggled to tell himself that it was the same Draco Malfoy that was a constant pain in his arse for most of his life. She looked like a mother comforting her child, and that scene brought unwanted images in his head. He decided to leave the room, feeling that what was done was done.

Draco stared at the closing door with a scowl. He was still a brooding git, it seemed.

"He doesn't like me either," Eclair stated.

"It's not you, Eclair," Draco murmured, she then fixed her a smile. "Tell you what, I'm sure he's considering it."

"Really?"

"Yeah, just give it some time."

Ron was tired. He had been trying, for hours, to get information out of the vampire currently occupying a hospital bed, but she had been adamant to speak to Harry Potter.

"Like I said, Harry's unavailable," Ron said, exasperated. "Just tell me what you need to tell him. I promise I'll let him know."

The woman looked away from him. "The message is directed to _only_ Harry Potter."

Ron palmed his forehead. This was getting tedious real quick. "Well, you'll have to wait a _long_ time, lady. Harry won't be here for a while, so do yourself a favour and just spill it."

She shook her head, but this time, turned to look at him. "It is advisable that you all prepare yourselves. Soon, the rising darkness will return."

Ron blinked a few times. "Is that the message?"

"No."

"... Well, bullocks."

_**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**_

**_REVISED ON 2017/03/22_**


	3. Unwanted Experiences

_**Keeping up with the updates people. Watch out!**_

_**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**_

**CHAPTER 3: UNWANTED EXPERIENCES.**

There was so much a man could take before he went over the edge.

Harry didn't like being cooped up in close spaces for too long. He _hated_ it with a passion, especially when it was this silent.

His apartment wasn't anything to look at. It was spartan with little regard for decor. It was basically _empty_, inadvertently symbolising how he felt about himself.

There wasn't anything to do here. It was basically a cage for someone to wither away into nothing. That, among many other reasons, is why he never stayed for long.

But now, thanks to the untimely interventions of the Weasley family, he had no choice but to wait for his 'leave' to be suspended.

That wasn't too bad in hindsight. What was really bad is that he wasn't going to be spending his little _holiday_ alone.

He had ignored them for a long time. It seemed that Ron and Hermione had to pull all the stops to make sure he had more time for them.

It wasn't as if he hated them. He didn't really, and they knew that, but he struggled to allow himself to get too attached to people. He conceded to being cursed. Those closest to him would end up dying sooner or later.

He feared Ron and Hermione's meeting ends like Sirius, Ginny and Lily. It seemed that every time he was close to being the happiest he could be, tragedy found a way to 'keep him in line'.

It was unfair. His life wasn't meant for happiness. It was meant for constant sorrows and anger.

So, he decided that if this was how it was going to be, then he had no choice than to distance himself from anyone. He didn't need to experience more heartache.

But, for obvious reasons, his friend didn't want that for him. They wanted him to be happy.

Right now, however, it wasn't their choice to make.

But it didn't mean they were going to _stop trying_ either way.

So he just slept in bed, waiting for the inevitable arrival of these intruders.

As long as he cooperated, things should go smoothly, and he might finally get some alone time without people stopping his work.

His job...was a different story altogether. It hadn't even started off with him leading the Special Ops. He had been planning on being a humble teacher...bu-

Knock! Knock! Knock!

_Shout_, why don't you? Could they be anymore louder? He groaned and got out of bed. He just wanted to get this over with.

He didn't bother checking who was at the door. It could only be one of a handful of people.

Once the door open, he bared witness to Hermione Weasley, hands on her hips, glowering at him in apparent displeasure.

Harry held his stance, drowsily staring at her from inside his home. He really didn't care that she seemed agitated at him. It wasn't as if he begged her to come.

No one said a word for a few seconds. Then Hermione expeditiously let herself in.

Harry ignored it. It was typical Hermione fashion. She was probably upset at him for ignoring her.

The first thing she did was open the curtains. Merlin, the place looked abhorrent. She and Ron had tried on so many occasions to invite him to stay with them. But Harry didn't seem in the mood to be involved with anyone outside of work.

She wasn't a part of the Special Ops at all. Actually, she was a teacher at Hogwarts, but her husband kept her up to date with what was happening at the Ministry.

Harry was very complicated and _hard_ to talk to. He had secluded himself away from any prying eyes. Even she, his best friend for a long time, was treated like any other.

She had tried on so many occasions to seek him out on her own. But he was always busy. He was never really 'home'.

But, finally, she had him. After constantly begging Bill to help them with their predicament, the older Weasley pulled through in end.

They were all going to make the most of these two weeks, starting with her.

"Goodness, Harry, why don't you bother to clean this place up?" she scolded, making her way to a dusted closet and opening it. There were a few cleaning supplies inside. She promptly took out a broom and started sweeping.

"How can you possibly live in a place like this?" she continued her motherly banter.

It was one of her 'You should come and stay with us' mantras, Harry realised. But honestly, he really didn't give a damn.

"A really don't see a point to it if I'm _never_ around," Harry yawned, walking to his bedroom.

Hermione blocked him, staring directly into his cold jade irises. "And where are you going?"

"Isn't it obvious, I'm going to bed. Now, if you will excuse me."

"No you're not - you're going to take a shower, dress appropriately, and come back here. While you do that, I'll fix you breakfast."

Oh, that's right, it had been a long time since they actually had a conversation that Harry had forgotten she was bossy. He could have challenged her, but her stare held no room for debate. It looked like she would fight him if she had to.

He grumbled under his breath and went to the bathroom.

While he was busy, Hermione went to his fridge. Once she opened it, she couldn't stop her jaw from hitting the floor.

There was absolutely _nothing_.

She hurried to the cabinets and noticed the same thing. This place truly _was_ spartan.

"How on earth could you not have anything to eat?!" She cried.

Whether he heard her or not, her only answer was the running water from the shower.

Hermione massaged her head. It was going to take a long while for things to change.

The thing that made this worse was that she didn't know his pattern now. He might have a different routine of spending the day, and she might agitate that routine pretty well.

She didn't care, though. She came here with the sole purpose of being that person he needed so much - a friend.

Harry came out of his living room, dressed in a black V-neck shirt with matching pants and boots. His whole image screamed 'Brooding man - get out of my way'.

"Ah-ah, I don't think so, young man." She strode into his bedroom and proceeded to search through his closet. Aside from Auror robes, there were a few choices of attire to choose from. Merlin, how long hadn't she seen him?!

She took out a brown shirt and told him to change into it. Harry looked irritated; she knew he wanted to get this day over with as quick as possible, but she had other plans for him.

As he was changing, he could hear sizzling coming from the other side. It didn't take long for an intoxicating aroma to accompany the sound.

If Harry had to guess, he was sure Hermione was preparing bacon and eggs. He wondered when she had the time to get the ingredients; it would be impossible, given the amount of time he actually changed his shirt.

Magic worked in strange ways.

He came into the living room, and saw breakfast, laying and waiting for his taste buds.

Hermione was already seated, patiently waiting for him to join her.

He did, finding it tedious to argue even about a meal.

They ate together, for this first time that year, in silence.

Of course, Hermione, being known for her talkative attitude, couldn't stand it.

"When was the last time we sat like this, just you and me?" she asked.

Harry ignored the question, too engrossed in finishing his meal.

Hermione sighed. "I'm not going to stop talking to you, you know? You might as well do yourself a favour and just chat up with an old friend, well, I'm not that old, even if I do have kids." The last part was said with a giggle.

Harry wondered what was so funny. Still, even he couldn't possibly stand the awkward tension. "What are you laughing at?"

"And he speaks! Merlin, I missed your voice so much!" Hermione said with a dreamy sigh.

If she was trying to make him laugh, it wasn't working.

Hermione wasn't giving up. "If you must know, _Mr Grumpy-pants_, then I'll tell you. Last week Ron and I were talking about other occupations out there for you. And I, being the wonderful friend that I am, suggested you take up modelling. Ron's face was priceless."

Harry didn't like the sound of that. "Oh, so you're poking fun, are you? You think I'm a joke?"

Hermione paused when she heard him accuse her. She looked at him, as serious as he ever saw her, and said, "_No_, I would never. But I do think you should start looking for something better than Auror work."

"And why is that?"

"It's just a depressing job for you! You deserve better than to walk around, fighting crime like some fictional superhero!"

"... Ron has the exact-"

"I know," she lamented, "but I also know that being an Auror was the last thing on your mind, not his."

And another point went to Hermione. Among the Weasleys, she was the one that understood him the most. Perhaps that's why she came...or was sent here. If anybody could break him out of his funk, she could.

And that is one of the reasons he didn't want any visitors, because of that little possibility that they _would_ influence him to a level that would revert him to who he was.

He _didn't_ want that. He never wanted to experience that kind of pain again.

He stood up quickly, surprising Hermione. "Is there a reason, either than seeing me, you came here, Hermione?"

She wanted to answer with the first thing that came to the tip of her tongue, but she didn't think "because I wanted to check up on you" would be suitable for tension like this.

"Actually, there's so much to do today and so little time."

Harry raised a curious brow. "Such as?"

Hermione levelled him a blank look. "Did you think you were dressed just to look pretty?"

"I'd hardly think pretty is the kind of word to describe me, Hermione."

"What then, scary?" Hermione joked.

Harry allowed himself to at least roll his eyes. "Cheeky one, aren't you?"

Hermione smiled. "If you stopped ignoring us, I would go a tad lighter."

Harry remained quiet.

Hermione waved it off. "But enough about that. I finally have you to myself and I'm going to take _full_ advantage of that."

"It's not like a can't disagree to whatever you ask of me."

"Of course you can't!" Hermione argued. "Not when you're taking me out on a date!"

Harry blinked at her. "... What?"

"You heard me, you're taking me out today!"

"I don't think Ron would be too happy about that."

"You kidding, he practically suggested it."

_Okay_, it was either the date wasn't _that_ kind of date or Ron and Hermione were bonkers.

"As friends then." Harry surmised.

"Although I do love you very much, I don't think it's in me to betray Ron like that. Although, if I wasn't married, then who knows?" Hermione said, adding a seductive wink.

"Seriously, stop that, it would be wrong on more than one level to think of you as dating material."

"What's wrong with me?" she interrogated, feeling like he was taking jabs at her femininity.

"Nothing, I just don't feel that way about you," Harry replied honestly.

Hermione looked taken aback at his answer. "Oh, I can't imagine you ever feeling that way. It's just mere teasing, Harry."

Harry frowned then. "Don't with me."

Hermione decided to change the subject _again_ before things turned ugly; she was finally getting him to open up, now wasn't the time to stop.

"You're no fun," she pouted, but immediately brightened. "Shall we go then?"

Again Harry was left bewildered. What could they possibly do on a Saturday?

* * *

Draco absolutely loathed desk work. Sorting out paperwork for the different criminal mission was not what she signed up for.

There was little she could do to argue on the matter. As part of her punishment, she needed to make sure that the Special Ops was up to date in their activities, and that nothing was amiss.

'Curse you, William Bill Arthur Weasley,' she mentally groaned. It was absolute boredom! Hell, she loved casting curses, chasing bad guys, and saving lives better than this!

She just wished there was something, anything to take her mind off this atrocious profession.

It was as if Merlin was smiling at her then.

"Vice Commander Malfoy!" A hysterical voice called.

Draco looked up from her signing. She was thrown off to see Annabelle of all people at her doorstep.

The girl was pretty, Draco would give her that much. Her hair was a golden brown with blonde highlights, had a great bum for a kinky time, but it was her feminine facial features that won out: beautiful green eyes, well-placed cheeks, and soft, creamy lips.

Reiterating what she heard from other male Aurors made Draco want to throw up. Is that what all men saw? They just labelled women as fuckable or not and didn't even care about their personalities?

That's why most women saw men of this generation as pigs, and Draco could consent to that. Love for a woman was dead in these times; these bastards only saw them as meat to satisfy their insatiable hunger.

'I don't need that kind of rubbish in my life,' she thought.

Finally realising that Annabelle was still waiting for her to speak, she acknowledged the distressed Auror's presence. "What is it, Annabelle?"

"It's the Veela child, ma'am. There's something strange going on with her."

Draco pursed her lips and said, "Mind elaborating?"

"Uh...why don't I just show you?"

"Why not take this with Potter?" Draco asked.

Annabelle hesitated a moment before speaking. "The Commander isn't around today."

Even Draco couldn't miss the profound disappointment in Annabelle's voice. The girl obviously had a not so subtle crush on her higher up.

Most people had been convinced that she was just infatuated with the_ legend _of Harry Potter - she had said on a number of occasions that she read all about him. But over time, Draco started to see that Annabelle wasn't a stupid fan girl, but actually, _really_ liked Harry for who he was, not what he had supposedly done. She was even more readable ever since Ginny's death.

Annabelle never told him, possibly fearing that he would reject her because he was grieving. So she settled for being there for him as much as he would allow her.

Everyone in the corps knew of her crush, Draco could bet on Harry as well, but of course, Harry wasn't who he used to be. And evidently, there was no way he would partake in dating again.

"Fine, let's see what you're on about."

They walked quickly to Eclair's hospital room. Annabelle seemed to have a sense of urgency Draco found strange.

They approached the room and Annabelle opened the door.

Draco wanted to know what all the fuss was about. Eclair was a Veela, so they would obviously be a few things that they didn't understand about her, but the platinum blonde didn't think it was something that warranted haste.

She was dead wrong.

"_Expecto Patronum!_"

There was a bright flash, and Draco had to shield her eyes from the intensity. Once the light subsided, Draco stared at a projection of a huge tiger, sitting right in the middle of the hospital room.

Eclair's gaze seemed empty for a moment, but then she suddenly brightened up and began giggling excitedly. She turned to her two guests and greeted them in a giddy fashion.

"Hey, look what I what did, look what I did!" Eclair yelled gleefully, pointing to the very ferocious tiger sitting close to her.

Draco and Annabelle were frozen in place, both their jaws were close to coming off their hinges. Neither could deny what was right in front of them, a Patronus...

But how?!

A Patronus Charm wasn't something anyone could conjure up just like that. It was one of the most powerful, _immensely_ complicated and difficult spells to create. For an adult, it would have taken a _long_ time to master, but for a mere child, it was impossible.

"A Patronus Charm, what in Merlin's name is going on here?!" Annabelle screamed, looking more hysterical as time went on.

At the girls shout, Draco eyed Annabelle suspiciously. "You mean, this wasn't what you called me here for?"

"No!" Annabelle yelled, looking slightly scared. "She was just casting the Levitation Charm from out of nowhere, not this!"

The tiger eyed both of them. After realising that they weren't an immediate threat, it yawned and placed its head on Eclair's lap.

"Strange," Eclair said, trying to touch the projection, but finding it impossible, "I can't even feel you."

After getting over her shock, Draco decided to get to the bottom of what was happening.

"Eclair," she beckoned.

Said girl looked at her and said, "Yes, ma'am?"

"Where did you learn to do that?"

"Even without a wand?" Annabelle whispered, still reeling from what she was seeing.

To Draco, it wasn't _really_ a surprise seeing a Veela using magic without a wand. Rumour had it that Veelas didn't need any sort of object to focus their magic on. No, what was really astonishing was the _level_ of magic and knowledge Eclair displayed.

The Veela blinked at her. "... Learned?"

"Yes, who taught you all this?"

"No one taught me, ma'am."

Draco peered at her. "That is _impossible_. Magic like Levitation and Patronus aren't just thought up, and they aren't just cast from the very start either. Both of them need patience and practice. So I'll ask again, who taught you this? Did you go to a magic school?"

"No, ma'am, I've never been in a school, and no one taught me, honest!"

Draco didn't think the little thing had it in her to lie, but this whole situation didn't make any sense. Upon closer inspection of the Veela, Draco noticed something else.

"Annabelle?"

"Yes, Vice Commander?"

"What's this on Eclair's chest?"

Annabelle came forward to understand what Draco was asking of her. When she saw what Draco gestured to, her eyes widened.

"The seal," she whispered, awed by its presence.

"The seal?" Draco inquired. "You mean that weird thing Potter created?"

"Yes, ma'am," Annabelle was frowning the more she thought about it, "but it's not supposed to be _there_ anymore."

Draco didn't really understand the seal in general. She only heard of Harry creating something that could heal someone else, dubbing the discovery as 'the seal' - which was stupid, but not unlike Potter.

Malfoy crouched down and asked Eclair if it was okay to touch her chest.

"Okay," Eclair answered - there was a twinge of nervousness as her voice quivered slightly.

Draco smiled at her. She found the little Veela's behaviour oddly adorable. "Relax, Eclair, do you think I would hurt you?"

"No, ma'am, never."

"Good, girl."

Draco traced her finger delicately on the purple circle. She couldn't feel any groove, which meant that no means of writing a drawing was done to create the end product. To create something as intricate and powerful as this, just _what_ had Potter been doing with himself?

"How many times has Potter used this?" Draco asked Annabelle.

"... Twice before, ma'am."

She could feel Annabelle's hesitation to reveal more, but she didn't like being left in the dark. "Who did he use it _on_?"

"I'm sorry, Vice Commander, that is for the Commander to answer."

Draco was no fool. She could immediately guess why Annabelle was being so secretive.

"It was Ginny and Lily, wasn't it?"

Annabelle remained silent, ashamed that she was figured out so quickly. It was these moments that she cursed her nature. Being an open book had its tumorous disadvantages.

"It's fine, Annabelle, I won't say anything to him. What I'm wondering is how come he's only used this three times?"

"Be... because of the dangers associated with it."

"Meaning?"

"If too much magic is released, or the spell is incorrectly used, the one using it will die."

"... Harry died?"

"It was only for ten minutes that his heart stopped and I had to apply CPR. So yes, technically he died for ten minutes." She never wanted to experience a moment as scary as that _ever_ again.

This kind of magic was more dangerous than most Draco knew. She would need to have a discussion with Potter about it.

"Vice Commander, can I speak to you in private?" Annabelle suddenly asked.

Draco turned to the brunette, surprised by her serious tone. She turned back to Eclair. The little girl was eyeing the tiger that had still not disappeared. This was a strange day indeed.

She stood up and said, "I'll be right back, okay Eclair? Don't cast any more spells."

"Spells?"

Draco sighed, what was this world coming to? "Don't do that funny stuff you were doing."

"Oh, okay," Eclair said, no hint of hesitation.

Draco was a bit surprised with how easily obedient the girl was. Most girls her age were all but angels, choosing to be a pain in the asses towards adults.

After she and Annabelle exited the room, Draco began her enquiries, "What's the matter?"

"Well, we _found_ her parents. Actually, it was Neville who found them."

Draco didn't need to know who they were talking about. "So where are they?"

"That's just it, they refused to come for her."

"Why!?" Draco shockingly demanded, perplexed.

Annabelle squeaked at the shout but answered truthfully. "They don't want anything to do with her."

"What possible reason could they have to _abandon_ their own child?"

Annabelle sighed. "I don't know, they weren't as forthcoming to that. All they said was 'you can have her'."

"Disgusting filthy peasants!" Draco yelled. She was more than livid with the child's parents. It was these moments when she knew life wasn't fair. How could parental figures like those take their children for granted? There were many more than just Eclairs parents, and it made Draco want to wring each and every one of their necks.

Here she was, literally longing for a child to raise and love, and she couldn't even have one. Yet they were privileged to have something so precious and innocent, and they do _this_?!

"Vice Commander, are you okay?" Annabelle asked, genuinely worried.

"Arg! People like that don't deserve to call themselves human!" Draco yelled. She tried to regain her composure, but she felt so bitter and sick.

Annabelle flinched yet again, but she could empathise with Draco's rage. She was right, people like that were nothing more than monsters.

As soon as she composed herself, Draco came to a startling realisation. "What...what happens to her now?"

This was what Annabelle was hoping not to answer, but she had to. "She must be sent to an orphanage."

Draco was thinking a mile a minute. That couldn't end well. She wasn't a normal semi-human with little abnormalities; she was a full blown Veela, and 'creatures' like that were never trusted.

"How about putting her up for adoption here?" Draco suggested.

"Not possible, I'm afraid. Although it pains our Minister, he cannot allow any adult to be affected by her Allure."

Draco scratched her head. The Allure wasn't really affecting her, which made her conclude something else, "Veela's don't affect women, right? So why not find women candidates?"

"No candidates were found, not even Veela," Annabelle swiftly answered, already expecting the question. "Plus, with her technically being 'healthy' she cannot stay in that room anymore. There are other patients in need of attention."

"She isn't healthy, have you seen how skinny she is!?" Draco sputtered.

Annabelle nodded. "Even so, our medical charts pointed it out. I hate this too, but since we have little to no understanding of Veela anatomy, we have no choice."

"This is absurd," Draco muttered. "There has to be something to be done about this."

"If we had more time, then I'm sure something would come up," Annabelle tried, but it fell on deaf ears.

"So what I'm basically getting from this is that since Eclair is a Veela and _was_ a slave, no one will take her. If she goes to an orphanage, she is absolutely guaranteed to be alone."

Annabelle didn't think it was right to comment on that. It was all true, nonetheless.

"Can't we force her parents to take her back?" Draco was practically desperate now. Someone as nice and innocent as Eclair didn't deserve this kind of fate.

What Annabelle said next ended any little hope. "Neville would have tried, but when he came to their location the next day, they were gone."

"Gone, as in ran away?"

"Possibly."

"... I really hate those people."

"I share your sentiments."

There was a loud clank in the room. Draco and Annabelle rushed in, only for their eyes to bulge out.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it!" Eclair cried.

The entire room was filled with water, it splashed harshly against their boots and wet their robes.

"H-How?" Annabelle stuttered.

"I-I just said _Aguamenti_ and this happened. I didn't know it was funny stuff!"

Draco palmed her face.

* * *

"Come on, Harry, you're not exactly being very attentive towards me," Hermione moaned.

"Because this _isn't_ a date, Hermione," Harry replied, his brow twitched in annoyance.

"Of course it is, aren't you having fun?"

"I wouldn't call the public library fun..."

Hermione stared at him in reproach. "What do you mean?"

"Hermione, I know these are the types of things you like, but I'm sorry, this isn't for me at all."

"Oh, I see."

She looked down, and Harry found himself feeling a tad guilty. Sure, he didn't invite her, but it would be downright criminal to treat her badly.

"Let's just go to a restaurant. What's that new one?"

"I don't know...uh...The Dragon something?" Hermione said, sounding unsure herself.

"Come on," Harry said, "We'll walk around and see what we'll do from there."

Hermione was glad he was suggesting these things. She didn't know much about what would be the places to take someone going out. Ron was heavenly, but the poor guy didn't know where to go out on their dates, and she really didn't have the heart to tell him that some of the places he took her weren't suitable for her tastes.

So, she tried something of her own with Harry. Seemed like he didn't like it, but at least he _was_ into the date, as what she was hoping for.

They walked on the streets. The silence between them was actually comfortable, and Hermione felt like she was free to speak what was on her mind.

"I've really missed you, Harry, we all have."

Harry didn't know how to reply to that, so he wisely kept silent.

"Why don't you visit us anymore? Rose and Hugo keep asking where their Uncle Harry is."

"Rose is only three, Hermione and Hugo should have just reached one year," Harry deadpanned.

Hermione smiled beautifully. "So you haven't forgotten about them after all. I'm so glad, Harry."

Harry stared straight ahead. It was awkward enough that Hermione was bringing up these feelings he wouldn't dare to entertain, but talking about children was a sore spot for him.

Hermione sensed his reluctance to continue on with the subject. She spotted a nearby park and happily gestured towards it.

"Seriously?" Harry said.

"Yes, come, it's a great day to be at the park."

Harry rolled his eyes but followed.

They went to a grassy area and sat down.

Hermione eagerly patted her lap. When Harry looked at her, unblinking, she laughed and said, "Put your head on my lap, silly."

Harry gave her a look, but she continued to smile innocently.

Harry gave in at the end. Hermione was just being herself, and he knew she wouldn't do anything that impeded who she was.

"How does it feel?" She asked, running her hand gently through his hair.

Harry grumbled something inaudible.

"What?" Hermione asked.

Harry glared at her and huffed. "It feels nice, happy?!"

"Oh very much so," Hermione said.

Harry found it difficult to keep his eyes open because of Hermione's ministration.

"If you want to sleep, go ahead," she coaxed him.

"You know, people might mistake us for a couple."

"I don't mind, but I think they're more surprised to see the Famous Harry Potter in the flesh."

"What?"

"Look for yourself," Hermione snickered.

Harry peaked at the park's inhabitants. Indeed, they were all staring at him in a mixture of shock and astonishment.

"Huh, I didn't think they'd be this surprised."

"That's what you get for disappearing, hero."

"Guess so...Wait, is that Cho?"

"Where?" Hermione asked, looking herself.

Harry was right. It was Cho, but she only looked at them for a moment, and hurriedly left them after.

"Okay, what was that about?" Hermione asked out loud.

"I... don't know. Geez, she's grown."

Hermione's eyes widened a fraction, then a devious smile graced her lips. "Well now, is Harry Potter scouting?"

Harry fixed her with a glare. "Don't joke around about that, and I'm not scouting."

To calm him down, she rubbed his hair again. "You have to relax, Harry, don't take everything so seriously."

"..."

"Anyway, where were we? Oh yes, you were saying something about people thinking of us as a couple?"

"Nope, I'm sleeping," he said, closing eyes.

"Aw come on, if you sleep, I can't tease you!"

"Exactly."

* * *

He arrived at home later than he would have liked. Hermione's visit was unwelcomed at first, but to a point, he was glad that he spent his day with someone close to him.

It didn't mean that he wanted to make it routine. If he guessed right, then he would be seeing the rest of the Weasleys soon. He shuddered to think what Fred and George had in store for him.

He looked at the few bags he had gotten. Even though Hermione didn't know many fun places, she knew how to shop like any ordinary woman. Harry was a little worried that she had forced him to buy more clothes than he needed.

She said her goodbyes, for now, kissing him on the cheek and telling him she liked how easy she found it talking to him. It spoke volumes of what he meant to her, and probably the rest of the Weasleys.

He shook his head. No, he shouldn't be enjoying their company. He couldn't allow himself that kind of weakness. It would be his undoing if he did.

He yawned, feeling utterly exhausted. Hermione had taken him any place she could, from restaurants to theme parks. It was...fun, for as long as it lasted.

Now, he needed to focus. He just had to get through these two weeks without a hitch. Only after, could he do what he was good at.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

He silently cursed. What was it now?!

If it was anyone coming for a visit, then they picked the worst time to see him.

He promptly opened the door, prepared to chase away any would be annoyances, but his words froze and died in his throat.

"So this is your 'home'. I must admit, you could do better."

Harry was shocked to the core. "Draco?"

"Yes, do you know anyone else that looks as hot as me?" the blonde replied with a wave of her hair.

Draco...at his home. What was this? Was Merlin playing a prank on him? What kind of alternate universe had he stumbled on?

"Are you going to let us in or not?" the blonde impatiently asked.

"How did you-"

"Annabelle, you git."

Harry pondered slamming the door in her face, but upon realising she said 'us' he paused and finally noticed the second head.

"Eclair?"

"Hello, Mr Potter!" Eclair greeted, energetically waving a hand - the other was currently intertwined with Draco's.

In the few times he'd seen her, Harry had never seen the Veela this happy. Her form was practically glowing with glee and Harry had to wonder if that was some sort of magic in effect.

She was also wearing what looked like brand new clothes. She wore a blue dress and shoes, a little white jacket and a cute, fluffy hat.

"Why are you out of bed?" Harry asked her.

"She was discharged today. It was confirmed her parents wanted nothing to do with her, so she couldn't go back to them," Draco answered instead.

Harry frowned, he was drawing a line to where she was headed. "So, it's the orphanage then?"

"None of the sort."

That surprised him, but there was only one other option than the two. "You found her suitable guardians?"

"Well...yes, I guess."

"Then what the hell are you doing here?" Harry said with a blank face.

"I need answers."

"Answers to what?"

"Mama, is this where we're going to live?"

Harry's mind stopped, re-booted, then crashed again. He had to be hearing things. There was no way in all of the Wizarding World that Eclair just called Draco 'Mama'.

"Heavens no, this place is a dump!" Draco yelled, wrinkling her nose. The very thought of living in a place like this disgusted her. She wondered how Harry could put up with it.

Harry was still trying to process what was going on.

"If you keep looking at me like that, I'll sucker punch you in the face," Draco warned him, snapping the wizard out of his stupor.

"M-Mama?" were the first letters that flew out of his mouth.

Draco glowered at him. "Yes, I adopted Eclair, what of it?"

"What?" Harry said, completely lost.

Eclair tugged on the taller woman's hand. "Mama, are you two together? Is Mr Potter my Pappa?"

"Ew, NO WAY!" Draco screamed. She vehemently convinced herself that the flush on her cheeks was from anger, not...the other thing.

"Shout louder, why don't you?" Harry grumbled, rubbing his left ear. That was very uncharacteristic of her. She would usually deny things in a spiteful way, so why the hell did she look so embarrassed now?

Silence followed for a few moments. When Harry had enough of it, he decided to end the little chit-chat.

"Congratulations on your adoption, Eclair. Malfoy, really don't have the time for you, so bye."

He was about to close the door on them, but Draco put a hand on the frame to stop him.

"Woah there, buster, you still have a lot to answer to."

"Could you get to the point?" Harry said, irritated at her refusal to leave him alone.

"This is my point!" Draco spat, pointing at Eclair's slightly exposed chest.

Harry took a glance and promptly choked on his own spit.

"Impossible, it should have disappeared by now."

"That's what Annabelle said, yet here it_ still_ is."

"Fine, come on so I can have a look at it."

"Finally," Draco groaned. "Waiting out there was becoming a pain, although here isn't any better."

"Don't make me throw you out."

Eclair gasped, dawning a bewitching expression of fear. "You wouldn't really throw Mama and I out, would you?"

"Yes, _Harry_, would you?" Draco chimed in, sweetening her tone to that of a seductive lover.

It was these moments that Harry could admit to hating how women affected him at times.

_**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**_

**_REVISED ON 2017/03/22_**


	4. Foreboding Message

**_It's been a while, hasn't it? Well, I'm back, bitches! And on that note, I got two of my very first reviews. I'm glad I was able to get them in the first place and they were both positive! So, the long awaited update is here. Now, my fan fiction lovers, this is where the plot thickens. Enjoy!_**

**_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_**

**CHAPTER 4: FOREBODING MESSAGE.**

Harry made Éclair take a seat in the room's only dining table. He currently occupied a sofa that was the closest to the little Veela.

Éclair's chest was partially laid bare to the wizard. She fiddled nervously with her fingers but was reassured, in mind, that no harm would come to her. She took a moment to look around her. This was the last place she had expected her hero to live in. It seemed very primitive and mundane. Everything around was very dull and lifeless. She guessed she really should have expected nothing less in hindsight.

Draco occupied a wall that would allow her ample vision of her newly adopted daughter. She was very surprised that Harry hadn't pried on to the reason she even took someone as her charge. Hell, for goodness sake, she was shocked herself!

She would have never given any other victim this kind of attention. Honestly, she wouldn't have batted an eye if it was anyone else. But when she saw how bleak the Veela's life would become, she acted more impulsively than rationally. Maybe it was her obsession to have children that impaired her judgment. She felt like Éclair was backed so far into a corner and there was no way out for her.

Whether she liked it or not, the Veela was special. Among magical beings, Veelas were significantly rare in crime. No Veela had ever been recorded to be involved in such matters. Éclair was the first Veela they'd ever treated for slavery and the Ministry was at a loss of what to do for her afterwards.

Not only were Veelas scarce in crime, they were rare period. The only well-known Veelas were the Delacour family. Even if they were others, they never made themselves significantly visible to the Wizarding World.

'I'm straying off,' Draco mentally chided, focusing once again on her daughter. She saw Éclair fidget and couldn't help but worry.

"Are you okay, Éclair? Are the clothes I bought you uncomfortable?" Draco blurted out. She silently cursed when both heads turned to her.

Éclair smiled and said, "No, Mama, the clothes are fine. Uhm… I'm a bit nervous, I will admit."

Draco nodded in understand, and then glared at the flabbergasted Potter. "What are you looking at?"

Harry would have loved to snidely answer her, but he didn't know himself. Mama Draco was a complete one-eighty from Bitch Draco. It completely threw him off how she acted towards the child.

Although it was none of his business what Draco did with herself, seeing her care for someone else was a different story. There was no telling what she and Éclair's relationship could develop into. Harry didn't feel that Malfoy was even prepared for parenthood.

It would be wrong in assuming that Draco wasn't made for motherhood, but he was basing his assumption from the years of aggravating torment he had no choice but to experience because of the Slytherin. Sure, Draco might give her all to raising Éclair in the beginning, but if Harry was correct then Draco would soon get bored of Éclair, and her "caring" attitude would certainly fly out the window.

"We need to talk," He said, surprising the blonde woman.

Draco was caught off guard for a moment but quickly regained her bearings. "What?"

Harry stood from the little Veela, absentmindedly noting how quickly Éclair covered her skin, seemingly embarrassed with the exposure. He directed his gaze on Draco once again. "My room, follow me."

Draco frowned at him but followed anyway. Before she entered, she looked back at her child. "Just sit on the sofa. I'll be right back."

"Okay," Éclair answered.

Draco nodded then closed the door behind her. She immediately got down to business. "Is this about Éclair? Why haven't you removed that stupid seal yet?"

Ignoring the Malfoy woman's impatience, Harry directed the conversation. "Why did you adopt her?"

Draco mentally staggered for a second, astonished that Harry chose _now _to ask that question. "Really, you pulled me over for _this. _Stop wasting my time and tend to Éclair already."

"I'll get to that in a bit. What I want to know are your intentions for the girl."

"Excuse me?" Draco gritted out, indignant. "You make it sound like I have ill will towards her?"

"Don't you?" Harry countered. "I know you for the horrible person you are, she doesn't. Using her for your own means shouldn't be above a Malfoy."

He caught the hand that would have slapped him out of reflex. He hadn't expected Draco to turn furious so quickly. But at least, it proved that he was on to something.

"How dare you, bastard! None of this is any of your damn business!" she screamed, borderline hysterical.

Harry found it difficult to keep a firm grip on her; he quickly grabbed her other hand to keep her from punching him. Things were escalating negatively, but this was good for him. He would use Draco's rage against her. "It is when a victim is in any danger from the guardian."

"Why would you care? What do you know?! Where were _you _when she had nowhere else to go?!"

"Doing my job. And for your information, she should have been sent to an orphanage for adoption." He knew it would be harder than that, but he wanted to gauge her reaction.

Draco struggled harder. She cursed the fact that Harry was taller than her. "You fucking idiot, Potter! Do you think if it was that easy, I would be her mother?!"

They both froze at her words. Draco was the first to continue.

"Arg! What's done is done. She's my daughter _now_ and your questions are unfounded."

"Are they? You seem to be missing my point, _Malfoy_. Do you care for her at all? Or was it merely convenient to adopt her? You know what I mean. You finally couldn't have what you wanted and took it upon yourself to get it anyway. What is she to you, a practice dummy for parenting? What's the point when you can't even have a genuine child of your own."

This time Draco was able to slap him, hard. She glared as hatefully as she could at this man. No, he wasn't the Harry she knew. The Harry she knew would have drawn the line, realised that the subject of children was a sore subject for her. He would have seen her pain and loneliness, would have at least offered minuscule comfort for her plight, no matter how much they were enemies. But _this _Harry, this _thing_ was a monster. It didn't care if she got hurt; it didn't care if she died. It only lived to make her life miserable.

She didn't know when she started to cry. She didn't even feel the tears until it was too late. What the hell was she crying about? Was it because of Harry's words? Was it because she saw how empty they _both _were? How _hurt _they both were? There was no doubt they had both been through so much together, regardless of their affiliations. And it was because of that they knew each other very well – and in turn, could hurt each other just as much.

It wasn't fair for her to have so much in common with _him _of all people. It wasn't fair that he knew how to break her down when no one else could. She hated him and his leverage. She hated how weak he often made her feel. She hated these damn…_feelings_!

She refused to even think of an infatuation. She would never entertain such a thought, _ever. _While it was true that the heart wants what the heart wants, even if it might not be good for it, a Malfoy was above petty temptations.

She found herself shocked when she grabbed the collar of Harry's shirt and physically shoved him against the wall.

Harry seemed unfazed by it, and it pissed her off even further.

"D-Damn you," She whispered, her long hair covering her face. "Damn you, you asshole! Why do you always do this?"

Harry may have seemed nonplussed on the outside, but on the inside, he was trying to figure out at what time Malfoy had been working out to get such strength. He was shocked by her actions, and even more so with how vulnerable she seemed. He hadn't a clue what she was talking about, but decided to keep silent and wait.

She stared at him then, her eyes hard and furious. She shook him for good measure.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

"I should be-"

"Shut up…What did you do to me?"

Harry stared at her stupidly. "Wha-"

"I could have lived on as I am." She didn't know what the hell she was saying, but she really couldn't stop herself. "But you just had to be around. Why?!"

"What the fuck are you-"

Draco didn't know if she was tired of hearing his voice, if it was the heat of the moment, or if something in her just cracked then. But she completely bewildered the both of them when she smashed her lips to his, hungrily devouring him.

For Harry, it felt like he had stumbled in the twilight zone. Never in a million years would he have imagined a situation like this. It was impossible. If he had told anyone that he had been kissing Malfoy – actually, Malfoy kissing him – he would have been subject to incredulous stares.

Out of reflex, he kissed back and felt Draco's tongue desperately trailing around his lips. He gasped at her forwardness, and she pressed her advantage.

Before they knew it, they were both on his bed, Draco above, still making out heatedly.

Harry found himself in a haze as he kissed her with as much intensity as she gave. Maybe it was confusion that allowed this type of weakness. But he found it hard to fight back. Lust was slowly winning over, and Draco's soft lips felt alluringly wonderful against his.

Draco found it difficult to think anymore, not that she cared. She never even pecked anyone on the cheek, and now she was openly making out with her complete opposite. She would have been horrified if she was in her right state of mind, but all she could do now was moan when she felt Harry's hands encircle around her delicate frame. It was sick – it came out of nowhere. But she didn't fight it. She was so_ tired_ of fighting.

In the back of his mind, Harry could hear a faint voice whispering to him. He valiantly fought off the haze that was overtaking him, and that allowed him to hear what was being said.

"_Ginny."_

It shocked him to the core and immediately brought him back to wherever he was going. He could see everything clearly and noticed Draco kissing him, her nails scratching his shirt – as if beckoning him to take it off.

This was serious and could turn regrettable if it hadn't already.

He tried to pull her off him, but she was surprisingly persistent and continued her onslaught on his mouth. He started to panic as temptation returned. This had to end, while he still had the will to make it so.

He forced them to switch places. Now He was the one on top, away from her prying mouth. They were both breathing heavily, latent desire yet to recede.

Harry eyed the woman bellow him carefully. It would be impossible to see her in the same light again. No, it would be possible, but not for him.

She kissed him, and it wasn't an ordinary one. It was desperate, needy, filled with desire – like she was trying to prove that she was still alive. Harry never knew Malfoy could feel that way. The kiss definitely affected him too.

If he hadn't stopped this when he did, it would have certainly led to sex – they both knew full well of that. But it wouldn't mean anything. It would just be fucking, a means to drown out the world, the pain, all for a few moments of bliss.

Harry could not fathom it, he couldn't fathom Draco's angle. He just stared at her, lost.

Once she was able to control her breathing and gain her sanity, Draco looked away from him. The feeling of revulsion was definitely present, also surprise and…something else she really didn't want to think about. She was flustered, both from embarrassment and arousal. She didn't know what came over her; she racked her brain for anything to explain what happened, but nothing.

Harry noted the confusion and rising horror in her azure eyes. He also noted that Draco didn't shove him off her immediately. In fact, she looked nervous and timid. But one thing stood out for the young Potter: Draco looked exhausted, both physically and mentally. Her eyes shown with loss and longing. She looked like she didn't know her place in the world anymore.

Draco bit her lip. How could she explain this? How could she put this behind her? It was obvious that would be difficult. She felt like casting the killing curse on herself. She could have beaten him; she could have yelled at him. But instead, she settled for kissing him? Was she perhaps possessed?

The atmosphere quickly turned awkward. Neither person really knew what to say. They had never been this…intimate before with each other, and it was pretty new territory for them. So it stood to reason that no one wanted to make the moment worse.

Draco sighed loudly. If she didn't say something, this could stem out forever. "Let's forget about this?"

Harry stared at her; his looked screamed, _Are you kidding?_

That forced a tired, but exasperated huff from the Malfoy heir. "I can't believe I did that – how embarrassing."

Harry felt it was safe to pry. "Why did you…?"

Now Draco seemed truly tired. She yawned adoringly and said, "I don't know…"

"… I need to use the shower."

He didn't know why he was announcing it, but he needed to get rid of any lingering thought of what happened, and what could have happened.

Draco didn't turn, letting him go in silence. For some reason, she felt utterly spent. Her eyes were heavy, and her vision blurry. She hoped when she woke up, this would be just a figment of her incoherent imagination. Sleep just hit her, she could not stop it.

When Harry came out of the shower, the last thing he expected was to see Draco comfortably lying on his bed. She was sound asleep; her shallow breathing was in rhythm.

He really was at a loss of what to do.

He went to the lounge and saw Éclair mimicking her mother. The Veela was using the arm of the sofa as a pillow as she slept.

Harry frowned at her position. That wasn't comfortable, especially for a growing girl.

He sighed, not having the heart to wake either female up. He carefully hoisted Éclair in his arms, bridal style, and brought her to his room. Careful not to wake anyone, he placed Éclair next to Draco, enveloping them in a few blankets.

For a moment he watched them sleep together, looking like the perfect mother-daughter pair. They shared the same hair colour, the same eyes, and looked eerily similar in terms of appearance. Éclair could easily pass as Draco's daughter to anyone who didn't know her.

The young wizard shook his head. Why did he care anyway? They weren't any of his business, and from Draco's weird outburst, he felt certain that Éclair _might_ be in good hands.

He decided to use this time to analyse his findings.

He sat on the sofa and took out a stack of paper. He started reading through each page, working fervently.

They had a huge problem: the seal on Éclair refused to come off.

He tested it discreetly while going over Éclair's chest. He didn't want a bombardment of questions from 'Mama' if he couldn't explain it.

This never happened before. Of the hundreds of tests he conducted on himself, the seal always managed to expire. Even tests he had done on injured magical creatures went off without a hitch. The problem was Éclair was a mystery. She was a Veela, but to what extent, half-Veela, quarter-Veela? It wouldn't matter what she was in the end since the seal applied to anything with magical attributes, but since she was the first Veela he had ever used the seal on, her heritage could be vital in figuring this mess out.

He looked at his papers again. The seal shouldn't have negative effects from prolonged use, in theory. But Harry couldn't be sure. This was the longest time the seal had ever been present, and new discoveries were a given, so he couldn't run to conclusions yet.

Of course, there was one sure fire way to get rid of the seal indefinitely, by casting a small curse. It would hurt Éclair for only a few minutes, but would definitely get rid of the seal for good.

There was no way Draco was going to stand for that.

It seemed he needed to study Éclair a bit more to figure out how the seal was working on her, but it would mean being around Draco.

He abruptly slapped himself, stopping his cheeks from flushing. That was wrong on so many levels. He convinced himself to forget about what Draco did. Ginny was the only woman for him. Now that she was gone, there was no reason to pursue any sort of relationship with anyone else.

He yawned, feeling tired and decided to deal with all the commotion the next day. It would do him little good if he couldn't sleep enough, even with all the nightmares that plagued him.

* * *

The first thing Draco could register was infuriating knocking. She groggily moved her body. She didn't want to get up. She didn't want to open her eyes because she knew if she did, then her sleep would be ruined. She was only half-awake to hear the knocking persist. God, why didn't they just go home and leave her alone? And besides that, she remembered her manor had a doorbell. Why didn't those stupid idiots use that?

When the knocking continued, she growled and got out of bed. Her body was partially on auto-pilot as she prepared to give the visitors a piece of her mind.

"Mmm…Mama."

Draco paused and tiredly looked to her side. She barely noticed Éclair sleeping next to her, and promptly covered the girl in the blankets she had so carelessly thrown in irritation.

Patting the little blonde's head a few times, she went out of the bedroom, not yet aware of her immediate vicinity. She arrived at the front door and didn't think twice of opening it.

She was still somewhat aggravated from being awoken from her beauty sleep; she didn't hesitate to glare at whoever was on the other side.

"What?!" she hissed.

Ron stood frozen on the spot. His face was unreadable for a period of time. If his eyes weren't darting around like crazy, Draco would have sworn the idiot was dead.

Then Ron shook his head slowly, muttering to himself.

Draco stared at him in annoyance, wondering why he had bothered to show up at her home.

"No," Ron murmured, still looking perplexed. "I must have gotten the wrong room number."

He double-checked the number on the door, confirming that it was indeed Harry's place, but that didn't make any sense.

"Maybe I'm drunk?" He put out – although, it would be the first time such a thing happened because of alcohol.

"Listen to me, Weasley, you better have a good reason for coming…here?"

Now she realised where she was, and her brain was slowly catching up on the night prior's events. She gasped and looked down at herself. Her dress was still there, but not her robe. It must have been in Harry's room. And judging by the direction of the sunlight, she most likely spent the night at Potters.

The kiss snuck into her sub-consciousness and she couldn't stop her face from inflaming.

All this was done at the obliviousness of Ron.

"Uh…" Ron scratched his head. He was expecting to see Harry, not Draco. The fact that she was in a place like this only served to abash him further.

"I was looking for Harry, but I think I got the wrong place…I think."

At least she was able to squash her embarrassment and look behind her.

There he was, sleeping on the couch as if the world was deaf to him. Harry's face did look a bit troubled but showed no signs of waking up.

"Ah! There he is! Harry, you bloody moron, wak-!"

Draco swiftly shut him up, covering his mouth with her hand; she whispered fiercely, "Shout like that again and I'll kill you!"

Ron was thrown off by the warning. He stared at her, wide-eyed. Since when in Merlin's name did she care about Harry?

Wait, what the hell was she doing here, Harry's apartment? Ron had never heard of Harry getting visits from his arch-enemy, and his poor mind couldn't comprehend the contradictions.

"I'm going to release you, but don't shout," Draco warned. She didn't need the fool screaming his head off and waking her child up because of it.

Ron nodded slowly. Once his mouth was free, he immediately started his inquiries. "What the hell is going on here?"

Draco raised a brow at him. "What do mean?"

She was playing dumb and he knew. "You know exactly what I mean, you lunatic. What are _you_ doing here?"

"Since when do I answer to you, Weasley?"

Ron massaged his scalp. "Bloody hell, this was the last thing I was expecting."

"Oh buzz off, Weasley. The reason I'm here is none of your concern."

She went straight to Harry, grabbed his shirt, and shook him violently. "Hey, wake up!"

Harry jolted upright, eyes crazed and scared. It was a sight that forced both Draco and Ron to pause.

Once he realised that he was awake, Harry relaxed and fell on his sofa again.

"What is it?" He muttered tiredly.

"Have you removed the seal?" she immediately asked.

Harry rubbed his eyes, trying to clear his thoughts. Sleep seemed very tempting, but he was aware of how serious the situation was. "No, I haven't."

Draco was already preparing to wake Éclair up and leave but was surprised with his answer. "Why not?"

He noted the edge in her tone, wisely choosing not to rile her up. "The seal reacts differently to her than anything I ever used it on. I need a further analysis before I can figure out the cause."

"You must be joking. So you're saying you have no bloody clue of what you're doing?"

She sounded angry, and Harry guessed that was the sort of reaction a mother would give, but he didn't shy away from the truth. "The seal wasn't perfect, but given her circumstances, she would have died without it. Now, so far, nothing harmful has been done to her yet. This is good. It will allow me time to find a reversal for it."

He wasn't apologising for what he did, and although she understood why, she was still vexed. "She's isn't some genie pig! And so help me if anything happens to her because of that thing, I'm coming after you."

Harry actually waved her off, shocking the hell out of her. "It isn't designed for anything else but transferring magic. You have nothing to worry about, Malfoy."

She still didn't seem convinced, and openly snarled at him. "Nothing to worry about? Have you _seen_ what she can do?"

Ron didn't usually find it amusing to watch his best mate fighting it out with his worst enemy, but…

Something had changed between the two. Ron wasn't sure whether he was right or wrong, but Harry and Draco seemed…comfortable around each other? Not the best way to describe it, but close enough.

He decided to test something out. "Sorry to interrupt your lovers' quarrel-"

"Shut up!" they said in unison, each sporting an equally visible blush.

_Well, slap me silly, _Ron thought, struggling to hide a grin at their flustered behaviour. _Something did happen between them. Not sure I like the fact that it was Draco, but still, Harry's freaking blushing! Mione's gonna love this._

"Anyway, I know I came here to pester you today, Harry, but I'm afraid much more serious matters have arisen."

Both Harry and Draco shared a look. Something about that didn't sound good.

"Come on, you git, you're needed at the Ministry," Ron said.

* * *

"Mama?" Éclair asked, holding her mother's hand as they walked through the market district.

"Yes, Éclair?" Draco answered.

"Why does Mr Potter live in a place like that? Doesn't he get money?"

Draco's mouth thinned. "Money isn't an issue for him. He has a manor as big as ours, but chooses not to use it."

"Why?"

"Personal reasons, sweetie. I can't really explain it to you," Draco said, not realising she addressed her charge affectionately.

Éclair noticed, and her mood brightened.

"Oh, it brings bad memories?"

Draco was surprised with how insightful the little Veela was, but answered honestly. "Yeah, a lot of bad memories."

"Then why doesn't he come stay with us?" Éclair suggested excitedly.

Draco spat out the water that she had been drinking, hitting a merchant nearby. After hastily admonishing the man for standing in her way, she fixed her daughter with an incredulous stare. "Why in the Wizarding World would I invite Potter to our home?"

The Veela blinked at her. "Aren't you two together?"

Face flustered, Draco sputtered, "N-No, I already told you that!"

Éclair frowned at that. "Are you sure?"

Although she found it a tad annoying that her very own child didn't believe her, she didn't rebuke her thoughts.

"Éclair, we fight."

"Couples do that all the time."

"We hate each other's guts!"

"Couples do that all the time."

"…"

"…"

"Éclair, what makes you think we're together?"

"He's the only guy I see you talk honestly with."

Okay, that caught Draco off guard. She hadn't really seen it_ that_ way. Harry had just been someone she knew and tormented since their school years, but Éclair saw more to it than that.

They did…kiss. But it was a mistake! The spur of the moment! It didn't mean a thing…did it?

_My head hurts,_ she mentally moaned. She decided to cast the thoughts aside for now. There wasn't any need for them.

She picked up _The Daily Prophet_ on a newsstand, halfheartedly wondering what lies she was going to read up on.

_HARRY POTTER ALIVE AND SINGLE!_

"Oh bloody hell," Draco groaned, reading the piece again to make sure.

"What's wrong, Mama?"

"It's nothing, sweetie, just a storm coming."

"Oh okay."

Draco glanced at Éclair when she wasn't looking. Now that they were a family, she needed to know everything about her. There was no doubt that Éclair was a mystery, and her past might have been too horrendous for her to reveal too quickly, but Draco couldn't just sit by and let it be. In order for this relationship to work, personal matters must be open to their little family. Draco wanted an honest and deep connection with Éclair, so honesty was going to be the best policy for them, no matter how hard it actually was.

But, at least, she didn't have it as hard as Harry. And in the next few days, because of his discovery, all hell was going to break loose, especially from the fan girls.

* * *

Harry stared coldly at the vampire in front of him. She lay in the hospital bed, eyeing him in the same fashion.

"She hasn't given us anything – no name, address, nothing." Ron supplied, although it wasn't very helpful.

"Who are you?"

"My name is not important. What's prudent is what I have for you."

"And that is?"

"Come closer," she beckoned.

Harry shared a meaningful look with Ron.

He approached the woman, careful of any sudden movements.

"Near my face," she said.

He gave her a look, but she did not relent.

Her crouched down until he was face to face with her.

She acted quickly, too quickly for either Harry or Ron to prepare, and kissed him on the lips.

"What are you-'

Were the last words Harry heard before his vision was engulfed in white.

He struggled to adjust to the brightness, but once he was able to, he noticed that he wasn't exactly on earth anymore.

It was another plane, riddled with grey environments that suspiciously looked like the static one would get from a television screen.

He wondered what kind of magic this was. An illusion? It seemed pretty strong to be the sort, especially since no illusion magic could work on his reinforced mind.

"Harry," said a melodic, alluring, feminine voice.

Harry turned towards it and gasped in utter disbelief.

A woman stood a few meters away from him. She was the epitome of beauty. Her long raven hair looked as luxurious as silk; the red gown she wore made her seem like royalty, contrasting with her smooth, peachy skin; her eyes, as jade as his, glowed brightly in the seemingly dark area.

She smiled warmly at him, luscious, pink lips curving bewitchingly – as if inviting him.

Harry stared at her in complete shock for what seemed like ages. It didn't take long for the surprise to turn to recognition, and that recognition to turn to pure rage.

"You!" he screamed, making to grab his wand, but found himself lacking said object.

The woman's smile never wavered and she raised her hand, playfully admonishing Harry's intentions. "Now, now, Harry, there's no need for something as pesky as that wand of yours. In this plane, magic has little to no existence. We are mere visions, speaking together through a medium. Although I _loathe_ the very thought of any other woman's lips touching yours, the seer assured me that this was the only way to properly communicate with you."

"Y-You," Harry staggered, struggling to come to terms with what he was seeing, "you're still alive?!"

"Are you that surprised?" the woman cooed. "I'm sorry it took so long to see you."

Harry's rage intensified. He charged at her, intending to grab her.

She disappeared before he could reach her, and reappeared behind him. "I told you, darling, we're merely visions here. Although I'm sad that you would try to attack me, none of us can be hurt in this plane."

Harry jumped away from her. He snarled viciously. "How are you still alive?! Where the hell are you?!"

The woman raised a hand to her chin, humming in thought. "Hmm, I won't reveal where I am yet, love. But as for why I'm alive…it's a long story actually."

The way she called him _love,_ the way she said it with so much adoration and truth made his blood boil.

"Don't you _ever _refer to me as that, you murderer!"

For the first time, her smile dropped an inch. "Ah yes, love, the thorn in our sides – your 'family'. That's not fair, you know? They didn't deserve a man like you. They're not like us."

"Shut up!" Harry yelled as loud as he could. "I'm going to find you, and I'm going to take you down…Sillest Riddle!"

Sillest brought a finger to her lips. "Shh. Now, love, you know how everyone sees my father. Besides, it isn't Riddle anymore, and I don't think you are aware. It's Sillest Slytherin from now on."

Harry paused his tirade. What did she mean by Sillest _Slytherin_?

"Don't understand, sweetie?" she read his mind. "It's alright, you'll get it soon enough. I'm confident in my man."

"I'm not your man!"

"Denial is the first step to acceptance, so I'll forgive you for saying that."

Harry looked around the area, trying desperately to find a way out of the world he was in.

"Aw, you want to leave already? Don't you want the message I worked tirelessly to get to you."

"Get me out of here!" Harry commanded, losing his rationality.

"Before you go anywhere, we need to settle this first."

Now she stared at him seriously, and Harry wondered if he had ever seen her like that before.

"Voldemort is alive."

Harry froze, not sure if what he heard was correct.

"That's right, love, father's out there and your time is running out."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**_Whoohoo! Things are heating up! And it's only gonna get worse for our hero! What is it about Éclair that's so special? Who is Sillest Riddle/Slytherin?  
_**

**_REVISED 2017/03/22_**


	5. Sillest Slytherin

_**Here we go again. Thanks for pointing out the errors I made, Kim. I decided to update much quicker than usual because of getting a few reviews more than I was expecting. Remember, most of this isn't canon. So if you see something that seems out of place, just roll with it. The only thing I need help with is spelling/grammar. If you review more, you get more! Enjoy!**_

_**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**_

**CHAPTER 5: SILLEST SLYTHERIN**

_Bill stood in front of a rowdy crowd of individuals. His brow twitched in annoyance as everybody in the small room seemed oblivious to his presence. Well, he understood that it really couldn't be helped, for it was the first time the lot of them had gathered on serious terms._

_He dusted off the desk that was next to him and used it to sit down. The room wasn't pristine or well-maintained; the paint looked like it was peeling off the walls, the dust on the floor picked up at everyone's movements – covering the room in an orange like hue. It wasn't as if anyone noticed but the scarred Weasley._

_He cleared his throat, expecting people to listen. When no positive response came, he cleared his throat again - still nothing._

_Once his patience ran out, he yelled, "Silence!"_

_The room was deftly quiet, as if anyone who uttered another word would die._

_Bill nodded, satisfied. "Good… As you all know, it's only been six months since the Special Op Aurors had been instated."_

"_Some Special Ops we are. The Ministry couldn't give two shits what we do!" a man said, with almost everyone else cheering in agreement._

"_Listen," Bill began, "it is still too early for any significant changes to take place."_

"_Come on, Bill," this time, it was Ron who spoke. "It's been six months and we don't even have proper working facilities. I don't think the Ministry cares at all about us. Even those bad ass Aurors thought the whole idea of a special unit was a joke."_

_Bill massaged his scalp, deciding to look passed Ron's insults for the time being. "Like I said, we have to be patient. Our Minister is already working on establishing us as a working unit of the Ministry."_

"_Is that why we're meeting at a rundown classroom near the halls?" A young black woman said, gesturing to the tattered environment._

"_Kate, I think you're being too critical. Bill's right, stuff like this does take time. Do you think that those top Aurors started out that way?"_

"_Annabelle's right, Kate," Bill continued. "The fact of the matter is we're actually making history here, and if you rush things, how will you expect to progress? Do you want to be remembered for incompetence or efficiency?"_

_Kate glared at the girl next to her. "Thanks a lot, Annie. Shouldn't you be taking my side of this, or am I not you best friend?"_

_Annabelle shyly dropped her head. "Sorry."_

"_Don't guilt trip her," Bill admonished. _

"_What do you think about this, Harry? You haven't said a word since this meeting began," Ron said._

_Everyone had their eyes on the aforementioned wizard._

_Harry felt nervous at the attention, squirming in place. He mastered enough courage to say, "Me, I'm not really part of the team, remember? I'm still working in Hogwarts as a student teacher. I don't understand why I'm even called to any of these 'meetings' in the first place."_

_Ron smacked his own forehead. "Harry, teaching is boring. Besides, it isn't as if you've made up your mind for a career yet."_

"_Actually, Ron, I-"_

"_Ron's right!" Kate yelled jovially, snaking her arm around Harry's shoulders. "What good would it do for your rep if people were to read up on the saviour of the world, skim to the last page, and realise that he ended up nothing more than a dreary teacher. That's blasphemy!"_

_Bill shook his head, amazed that these people were over the age of twenty. "Harry, we won't force you to choose what you want to do for the rest of your life. But the Ministry was adamant in at least showing you what it had to offer, in case you wanted to join the cause."_

"_Special treatment," Harry deadpanned, not liking the idea in the least._

"_It isn't as if anyone's complaining, hero-of-heroes," Kate reassured. "Come on, Annie, don't keep quiet and tell this man how you feel!"_

"_W-What!?" Annabelle squealed, face inflamed from embarrassment. " I-I… U-Uhm…mm!?"_

_People stared at her oddly, and Annabelle felt like she would die on the spot._

_Kate sighed, exasperated. "Annie, I meant how you felt about him joining us."_

"_...O-Oh."_

"_Are you okay, Annabelle?" Harry asked worriedly, seemingly oblivious to the very clear implications._

_Annabelle nodded her head, not looking at him, not trusting her voice._

_Bill coughed to get everyone's attention back on him. "Although I find this strange already, chaos isn't the reason I called you here."_

"_Then what is it?" Ron actually asked._

"_We have a new Auror joining us today. You can come in now!"_

_The classroom fell into silence. Every guy had the eyes on the newcomer. She walked graciously but with purpose. She went straight to the chalk board and started writing on it._

_She turned and smiled brightly at her audience. Her glasses made her look much younger than a twenty-year-old, cuter in fact. Her buttoned-up shirt and business skirt made her look petite and professional._

_Everyone quickly glanced on the chalk board and realised that the girl most likely wrote her name_

"_Hello all, my name is Sillest Jones. I'm very pleased to meet you."_

_The room remained silent. Many were still in shock of seeing such a beautiful, innocent looking woman in this kind of profession._

_Sillest blushed under their scrutiny and quickly turned to Bill. "Uhm…did I do something wrong?"_

_The room erupted in a frenzy, many cat calls and whistles resonated in the small space._

"_Hey, Sillest, your name looks exotic. Where do you come from?" a fellow Auror asked quickly. He grinned at the evil stares he received from his male compatriots._

_They were obliviously annoyed that he beat them to the punch._

"_Damn it, Henry, I wanted to ask her," Ron growled, looking at Harry when he felt something poking his shoulder._

"_You're getting married this month!" Harry quipped. "Hermione gave you three strikes. This is strike one."_

"_Oh shit, come on, Harry, you're supposed to be my best mate here!" Ron shouted._

"_And Hermione wants a faithful husband, what of it?"_

"_But I'm not interested in any other girl. I was just playing around!" _

"_That's good to know…You've got two strikes left."_

_Ron buried his face in his hands. "You're no fair, you know that?"_

_Harry patted Ron's shoulder, half apologetic._

_The duo never knew that everyone was carefully watching their antics. _

_Harry finally noticed the attention. He stared ahead, looking dumbly at Bill. "What?"_

"… _Never mind. Any more questions for our new recruit?"_

"_But she didn't answer mine!" Henry exclaimed, earning snickers from his friends._

"_Sorry about that. I'm originally from Britain, but I've been moving around a lot in my life, so I'm not sure how to properly answer you," Sillest said._

_Her friendly aura had an effect on the poor guy. "O-Oh…no problem, thanks."_

_His friends laughed at him, calling him out on his stuttering._

"_Is that all?" Bill asked. When he received no answer, he took that as a yes and said, "Alright, I'll need someone to show Sillest around the Ministry."_

_Hands were swiftly in the air, some even begged Bill to do them a solid with the new girl._

"_Honestly." Kate shook her head. "She isn't the only girl around here, you morons!"_

_Annabelle smiled at her colleagues' tomfoolery. She liked the fact that they had fun instead of being serious all the time._

"_They don't even bother asking her where she studied, what she did before she came here, or even who her parents are."_

"_It's not like we care, Kate," Henry said. "What's the matter, jealous?"_

"_As if, you fucking stick," Kate growled._

"_Kate?" Annabelle called, earning the girl's attention. "Why don't you ask her all that stuff?"_

"…_Because I'm not interested."_

"_But-"_

"_Annie, sometimes I wonder if you're even a woman."_

"_Pick me! Pick me!"_

"_Come on, Bill, I'll owe you one!"_

_Bill sighed and blindsided everyone. "Screw the lot of you. Harry, show Sillest around."_

_Harry was surprised, pointing at himself. "Who, me?"_

"_There's no other Harry in this room."_

_Harry nodded confusedly, hastily making his way to the front of the class._

_She stared into his eyes, and Harry was astonished by hers. It was like she was looking into his very being, trying to decipher all his hopes and dreams._

_He smiled at her, stretching out his hand, and was surprised when she didn't hesitate to take it gently._

"_Hi, my name's Harry Potter. It's nice to meet you, Sillest."_

"_Oh crap," Harry heard from behind, "He just _had _to say his full name, didn't he? Now we don't have a bloody chance in the world."_

"_And it's nice to meet you, Mr Potter." Her eyes seemed to sparkle brighter, and Harry noticed a light shade of pink on each of her cheeks. "Is it okay if I call you Harry?"_

"_Sure, everybody does."_

"_Wonderful."_

* * *

Hermione was bored out of her mind as she sat on a table in her favourite café. She looked at her watch.

"Ten, bloody minutes. I can't believe this," She muttered.

She wondered if anyone was going to come. She had expected to be talking already, not sitting around looking pretty. If it wasn't for the ring she proudly wore on her finger, there was no doubt that the two males sitting across from her would not have hesitated in trying something. These were the moments when Ron was an actual lifesaver. She really didn't need any drama from would-be suitors.

She contemplated leaving the café. She actually took the day off of work because she had believed she would be discussing serious subjects. But it seemed her goodwill was for not, for she had been stood up.

"I'm very sorry for being late!"

Hermione looked up from the cup of water she just finished. She frowned admonishingly at the latecomer. "You better be, since you're the one who called me here! I was so close to just having my breakfast and leaving!"

"Sorry, so sorry!"

Hermione waved her hand, smiling playfully. "Relax; I'm not mad, but a bit irritated. It's nice to see you after all these years, Cho."

Cho offered a smile of her own, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I wasn't sure you'd actually reply to my message."

Hermione frowned as she watched Cho take a sit opposite hers. "Why wouldn't I reply? We went to the same school together."

"But we haven't been the closest of friends," Cho stated, finding it uncomfortable to talk about the past.

A waiter came and took their orders. They only had to wait for a few moments to receive their coffee and breakfast.

Cho held her warm mug with both hands, staring at it like she was in a trance.

Hermione was still thinking about what Cho said. She was right, they weren't that close, and became even more distant because of her supposed relationship with Harry. Boy, what a disaster that was. But Hermione didn't want to hold on to prior mistakes. It was done, and they were adults now. "You're right, we weren't the best of friends, but it doesn't mean we weren't schoolmates. Seeing you after all this time is refreshing."

Cho grinned at her. "I feel the same way. I've been gone from England for almost five years, I can't tell up from down in this place anymore. I feel like so much has changed."

"About that, where did you go off too?"

"America. I wanted to be an actress. Well, I didn't at first, but the whole idea kind of sunk in after school. So I went after my dream, so to speak…"

She looked sad, as if she was admitting her shame.

Hermione stared at her in wonder. It appeared odd to talk to an old schoolmate that she hardly had any conversation with before, but for some reason, it didn't _feel_ bad at all. She knew there was a reason Cho wanted to talk with her, and mostly had a strong guess of what that reason was – or better yet, _who _that reason was.

"And how was it? Did something happen while you were there?" Hermione decided to keep the conversation casual, to see where it was going.

"A lot of things," Cho answered, not looking Hermione in the eye. "The entertainment business is tough. I had a few jobs, but they weren't mainstream worthy. And the competition was fierce. It seemed like everyone was after the same thing. I took acting lessons, but to be honest, they weren't very helpful."

"Oh my, I had no idea it was that hard."

Cho giggled, "Me too."

"I'm sure at least some good came out of your journey?"

"Journey," Cho mused allowed, "yeah, quite the journey indeed. And how about you, Hermione? I'm sure you have a lot to talk about."

Hermione noticed Cho's evasion to talk about her past, but decided not call her on it. "Me, well, my life isn't as complicated. After the war, I studied at a muggle institution, graduated with honours, married Ron and had two kids. It's pretty plane, I know."

Cho's eyes twinkled. "You married Ron and had two children? Congratulations on both!"

"Thanks," Hermione said, noticing Cho seemed a little relieved at something. And then it clicked for the Weasley.

She took careful sips of her cup, eyeing Cho with an unreadable expression.

"I saw Marietta last week. Crazy girl wouldn't let me have a moment of peace. I'm happy for her, though. She seems content. I mean she has a nice husband, adorable children, and still knows how to have fun. Seeing everyone around me having families makes me feel so old."

"I see…"

Cho noticed Hermione's behaviour and felt an odd sense nervousness take her body hostage. "Uh… How's everyone else?"

"What do you mean by_ everyone _else?"

"You know, your family, your children?"

"…Harry?" Hermione added.

For a second, she saw Cho's mood switch before her façade was firmly back in place.

The Asian looked away, her mouth frozen shut.

The atmosphere was slowly getting worse by the second and Hermione was finally getting a clue of what was really going on. But before she could interrogate, she was beaten to the punch.

"I read the papers this morning," Cho whispered, still looking away.

Hermione calmly drank the rest of her coffee and focused her entire attention on the woman in front of her. "_The Daily Prophet_, you mean. Yes, I read that as well. I have no idea how they got their hands on such delicate information, but an investigation will be conducted to find out."

Delicate was an understatement. The paper literally told the world about what happened to Harry during his 'disappearance', from his job to his activities, to the death of his family. The Potter's death wasn't in detail like the rest of the article, but the fact that people knew about it in the first place was troubling.

_If Harry were to hear about this, no telling what he would do, _Hermione thought. This worried her greatly. They had done such a good job of keeping everything a secret from the entire world for Harry's sake. Now all their work went straight to the gutter.

"Is that why you called me here – to find out if the rumours were true?" Hermione asked crisply.

Cho stared at her in surprise. The way Hermione put it made it sound disgusting and underhanded. She had half a mind to avoid the subject with the Weasley woman, but steeled herself, and decided not to lie. "Yes-"

Hermione started to stand, preparing to leave.

"-but that's not the only reason! Please hear me out!"

"No, I can't believe you'd pull a stunt like this. And I had actually thought you'd grown up and we could be friends!"

She started marching for the door, but Cho quickly grabbed her hand to stop her.

Hermione levelled her glare at the Asian, face tight in anger. "You better unhand me or el-"

"Please, Hermione, I'm begging you, please listen to me! I swear it's not as bad as it sounds."

Hermione didn't move but didn't seem pleased either.

"Two minutes," Cho begged, "just give me two minutes. After that, you never have to see my face again."

Hermione allowed herself to relax. There was urgency in Cho's behaviour that she couldn't figure out. She decided to hear her out, if only for two measly minutes.

She sat in her seat again, waiting for Cho to continue. "Fine, you've got two minutes. And you better be completely honest with me. If I detect a hint of mistrust, we're done here."

Cho gulped audibly, seeing how serious Hermione was on the matter. "Alright, I won't hide anything."

"Why did you call me, the truth this time?" Weasley wasn't going to wait for answers. She wanted them now.

Cho took a deep breath and exhaled, trying to calm herself. "May I start from the beginning?"

"I don't see why not."

"Alright, I wasn't lying when I said I went to the US. It was difficult adjusting, and I had a lot bad experiences there. I couldn't keep a relationship going; I struggled to find stable work and often survived on sheer luck. My life was a mess."

"Get to the point." She didn't mean to sound cold, but Hermione felt she couldn't trust Cho yet.

Cho gave a bitter smile. "Right, you asked me earlier if some good came out of my journey and I'd say a lot of good came out of it. I did a lot of soul-searching. I reflected on my past and things I did. I realised that I was so immature and confused back then, and I made a lot of mistakes that hurt a lot of people – even if it wasn't my intention."

Hermione nodded her head, confirming that she was listening to every word. She had no idea that Cho had been through so much. It amazed her; out of nowhere, she was hearing the Asian's backstory in earnest. She didn't feel like interrupting, and also felt slight concern for her fellow ex- Hogwarts.

Cho paused, choosing her words carefully.

"I thought of them, you know?"

Hermione furrowed her brows.

"Cedric…and Harry, I mean."

"…"

"Back then, even when I was dating Michael, I never felt at peace. I always had this bad taste in my mouth, like I screwed everything up."

Her earlier anger evaporated. Hermione's sympathetic side one over and she sighed. "You were going through a tough period. Cedric died and it devastated you."

"I'm glad you understand-"

"And as understanding as I am, I'm still Harry's best friend _first_, and I did not like the way he was treated by you."

Cho grimaced. She expected much from Hermione, but it was still tough to swallow. It was very embarrassing remembering how she avoided him after their relationship fell apart.

"Yes, I get it, and I'll apologise to him if that's what he wants, okay? Anyway, I thought about how messed up I left everything. Sure, New York was a fresh start, but I always had this chip on my shoulder, constantly reminding me of what I was."

"Guilt," Hermione surmised.

"Among other things," Cho lamented. "So I decided to put my life together, and start studying again. I'm currently learning in a University nearby. I started studying law three years ago in New York, and although it's technically my first year back here, I'm registered in my fourth year at the University."

"That's great, I'm glad for you," Hermione said.

Cho pouted, thinking hard about what to say next; she bowed her head, hiding her face. "…The reason I called you here has to do with Harry."

"I figured as much," Hermione said, and even though Cho's two minutes were up, Hermione didn't have the heart to leave yet. She would wait and see.

"Hermione, please tell me how he is."

She decided to allow it. "Terrible, what happened to him robbed him of any innocence that was left."

Cho nodded, understanding his plight. "It's been three years since that time?"

"Yes. Cho, I know you want to talk to him, but I don't understand where I fit into this."

"I came back to England to patch things up with a few people I've wronged in the past. I couldn't live with myself If I couldn't make things right."

"But that was a long time ago," Hermione argued. "How can errors from that time be significant now?"

"It's just how I work, I guess. I was finally able to move on from Cedric and bury my demons, most of them. Originally, I had planned to see Harry a long time ago and…well…become at least friends and wish him well with Ginny…but this morning, I got the shock of my life."

"The paper?"

"Yes, I've been here for a few months now. No one I went to even knew if Harry was alive; rumour had it that he disappeared for years. So I just took that as fate telling me I couldn't see him yet. But then, I saw you guys yesterday, in the park…and I was afraid to interrupt. And then this morning, I read the papers, and I had to see him – if not him, then at least his friends."

Hermione cupped her cheek, resting her elbow on the table. "This is just so random. You go out of his life, do your own thing for a long time, and then suddenly, you're back - just to see him?"

"He wasn't the only one I came to see, but he has been my main focus."

"And why is that?"

"…He's hurting, isn't he?"

Hermione's eyes widened a fraction, but she answered. "Yes, he is."

"I know how he feels, the pain, the loneliness. It's something that's hard to deal with alone."

"Your point is, Cho?" Hermione inquired impatiently.

Cho sighed dramatically, preparing to drop the bomb. "Hermione, I need your help."

"If you want to see Harry, then I can assist you. Besides, miserable git needs all the support he can get, not just from us."

"No, well, that's not really the help I'm asking for."

"Huh, I don't understand."

"I need you to help me in getting Harry to give me another chance."

"Another chance at what?"

"You know what."

"…Are you serious!?" Hermione sputtered, shocked with what her mind was drawing up.

"Very," Cho nodded. "I don't want to replace Ginny in his heart, and I could care less about his fame. But I've never stopped thinking about him for as long as I can remember, and I really want to make things right between us. He's been through so much hurt, and I can't stand the thought of him of not being happy."

Hermione blinked stupidly. This was the last thing she was anticipating from Cho. She expected the Asian to speak about friendship and forgiveness, not lingering feelings for her best friend.

She scowled harshly and said, "All this from reading the papers this morning?"

"I would have never told you any of this if Ginny was alive. I would have taken these feelings to my grave, but when I read that Ginny had died two years ago-"

"You saw this as your big chance," Hermione drawled, sounding understandably upset.

Cho shrunk an inch. "I would be lying if I said I didn't, but it isn't because I had it in for Ginny or hoped that she would die! I would have been perfectly content with knowing that Harry was happy – that's the truth!"

Cho's eyes bored into Hermione's. It was obvious that the Asian was trying to convey how serious she was on the subject, and Hermione didn't detect any falsehood from her words.

"How do I know you won't hurt him like before?"

Cho surprised Hermione by taking her hands in her own. She looked the brunette in the eye again. "You have my permission to give me the harshest curse you can think of if I hurt him."

The Weasley woman sighed, feeling exhausted. "So, you still love him."

"Yes."

"And you need me to put in a good word for you?"

Cho blushed, and looked away, "If that's okay with you…"

"Harry hates being manipulated."

"Then be honest with him," Cho said.

"What exactly do you want me to say?" Hermione questioned. She realised that she gave in a little too easily, but for all of Cho's mistakes, the young woman had a kind heart. The brunette guessed that Harry could do worse. Besides, she realised this might be exactly what the doctor ordered.

"Uhm… I'm not sure. I guess I need your help in that as well," Cho nervously chuckled.

Hermione shook her head.

What a day.

* * *

"_Another day, another successful mission. You're a natural, sir!" Kate praised, falling on her seat._

_The Special Op Aurors had been given a new office of operations thanks to the Ministry. It had been an additional three months since Bill had a formal meeting to discuss their standing among ordinary Aurors. They had slowly gotten a reputation of doing a good job that the Ministry began to call upon them on more crimes than usual. It was still pretty early for them to be truly respected by everyone, but they were slowly getting there._

_Currently, Harry and his partners had successfully apprehended a suicide bomber, who had planned to use his wand to destroy an antic shop._

"_Well, you girls did most of the work. I was there as backup, nothing more."_

"_That's not true!" Annabelle hastily blurted out, then shut her mouth when everyone looked at her. She cursed herself for her shyness._

"_Annie's right, if you hadn't taken him down when you did, we would have been in deep doo-doo."_

"_Yes, Harry, you were just as important to this mission as the rest of us," Sillest reassured, occupying her own desk._

"_You know what, Sillest, you're not so bad. I had my doubts about you in the beginning, but you're alright."_

"_Thank you, Kate, it's an honour." Sillest bowed._

"_Whoa, don't go all high and mighty on me. It isn't like I'm some kind of queen."_

"_I think she's teasing you, Kate," Harry said cheekily._

"_By Merlin, you're a little minx, Sillest!" Kate yelled._

_The group laughed at her._

"_So," Kate grumbled, choosing to change the subject, "anyone up for celebrating?"_

"_I can't, I'm not really part of the team remember? I'm more of a volunteer."_

"_That again, Harry, seriously? Stop doing that stupid teaching thing and join us!"_

"_I second it," Sillest added, smiling invitingly at him._

"_Me too," Annabelle said._

"_Nice try, ladies, but Ginny's pregnant, so she'll need me as much as possible to cope with it."_

"_Oh poo," Kate pouted, "the woman's going to drive you mad. She has you all over the place."_

_Harry laughed, "I'm fine with it, as long as she's okay."_

"_And the fights?" Sillest asked, frowning at him._

"_Perfectly natural. The Doctor explained that her hormones are through the roof, so she's going to be moody for a while."_

"_If I have to be honest, I wish I had a guy as understanding as you. Ginny's lucky," Sillest said_

"_You think so?"_

"_I know so."_

"_Thanks a lot, Sillest. I was starting to doubt myself for a minute there."_

"_You shouldn't doubt yourself, Harry, you're the perfect man, never forget that."_

"_Someone has a crush," Kate whispered secretly to Harry, but it was loud enough for everyone to hear._

_Annabelle's face turned a dark shade of red and she started sputtering nonsense. _

_Sillest smiled in Harry and Kate's direction, "I didn't think it was that obvious – silly me."_

_Harry's eyes widened and he looked uncomfortable. He made to say something but Kate beat him to it._

"_Geez, Harry, you're so easy to tease sometimes!"_

"_I do believe she's right," Sillest said through a fit of giggles._

_Harry exhaled and smiled. "Sorry, but you had me worried there."_

"_There's nothing to worry about, love," Sillest said playfully._

_They all laughed at his embarrassment._

_"Well, if it isn't Harry and his angels," Ron said with a suggestive grin, passing the foursome._

_"Angels?" Harry repeated. He wanted to ask what Ron meant, but the redhead was gone._

_"I think he might be comparing us to that movie Charlie's Angels!" Kate proclaimed proudly._

_The group blinked at her, and the black girl already knew they had no clue of what she was talking about._

_"You guys suck."_

* * *

Draco carefully pulled her hair into a ponytail. She went to her fridge and pulled out different foods. At times, she loved how big her place was, even the kitchen looked like something from a five-star hotel, but it didn't mean she liked cleaning every single mess.

"I wish I had house elves to deal with this crap," She moaned, pulling out vegetables and frozen chicken pieces."

"You had house elves here, Mama?" Éclair asked. She was propped on a chair that was close to the counter Draco was using.

While dicing some unions, Draco looked at her charge. "Yes, back in the day when things made sense."

"What happened to them?"

"Because of a woman named Hermione Weasley, the forced service of house elves was banned by the Ministry. "

"Oh, so it's a bad thing?"

"It's bad for me," Draco groaned. "I mean look at this place, it's huge! "

She animatedly gestured to all the room around her.

Éclair giggled, actually getting the joke. "I can help if it's too much."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "I think eating should be our top priority for now. You're very thin."

"…Yeah."

Draco noticed the Veela's gloom. She dropped what she was doing, took a chair of her own and sat next to the little blonde. "Éclair?"

Éclair looked up, staring into her mother's calm visage.

"How old are you?"

"Seven now."

"When is your birthday?"

"Uh…the fourth of February."

"Did you ever go to school?"

"No, Mama."

"Can you read and write?"

"Yes…Mama, why are you asking so many questions?"

"Figured it out, did you? Well, to answer you, I want to get to know my daughter; is that so wrong?"

Éclair furiously shook her head.

"Would you lie to me?"

"No, Mama."

"Then tell me about yourself."

Éclair blinked a few times. "What do I say?"

"Tell me about your past."

Éclair was uncomfortable in an instant.

"Just tell me what you're willing. The rest can be when you want to, okay?"

"No…"

Draco raised both her brows in surprise. "You don't want to talk?"

"No! I-I'll tell you everything, Mama."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," Éclair said determinedly.

Draco eyed the food she still had to make for just a moment. She decided to spare some time for the Veela. If Éclair was willing to talk about all her troubles and experiences, then Draco felt it was important to listen diligently.

She crossed her legs and waved her hand in a circular motion. "I'm all ears, sweetie."

* * *

_There he is!" Harry shouted, rushing as fast as he could in the Dark forest._

_There had been word of a huge werewolf terrorising individuals and the Ministry took it upon themselves to investigate. Since no physical evidence had been provided by would-be victims, the Ministry assigned the task to only two people._

_Harry knew the Dark forest had mysteries that were foreboding to most. Dangerous beings called the place home. But he hadn't expected to see what they were looking for in the flash. _

_At first, the man was normal, then underwent a grotesque transformation, turning into a werewolf in seconds. It reminded him of when Remus turned._

"_I'm right behind you, Harry!" Sillest shouted, rushing to catch up with her partner._

"_Keep a sharp eye out; there's more than one danger out here!"_

"_Understood!"_

_They weaved passed trees and bushes, following the thundering footsteps of the werewolf. _

_Because this person wasn't an Animagus and therefore had no control over their curse, Harry knew they had to trap the wolf in a safe location and tranquillize it before it actually hurt someone._

_Luckily for the pair, Harry had an assortment of potions he was still in the process of mastering, closest of which was what they needed._

_They tracked the wolf to a clearing. Of the many times Harry had dared to enter this forbidden place, he had never seen an area that he was currently staring at. Even if there were hundreds of undiscovered locations in the vicinity, a tranquil, surreal atmosphere was the last thing on his mind._

"_What is this place?" Harry mused out loud, staring at the lush vegetation that heavily contrasted with the dark environment he passed mere minutes ago._

_Sillest was right behind him, slowing down her run to look around as well. Her eyes widened for only a fraction of a second, but she hid it well._

_Harry noticed Sillest's posture. She seemed visibly shaken by the environment. The young man summed it up to fear of the unknown location._

_There was a path ahead of them, leading to a scary looking cave. What was out of place was the fact that the cave was lit. From a distance, it looked like torches illuminated the closed space._

_Harry wasn't liking where this was leading to. He briefly saw the shadow of the werewolf dash into the enclosed cavern._

"_Sillest, cover my rear. We're going into that cave."_

_His answer was silence._

_He looked behind himself, noticing Sillest distractedly staring off into space._

"_Sillest?"_

_That snapped her out of her stupor and shook her head. She rushed near him, looking sheepish._

"_U-Understood, Harry, I got your back."_

_Harry mentally frowned. That was odd from her. She was usually so attentive._

_They walked slowly into the cave, listening on as the whistling of wind picked up the deeper they dwelled. Large torches, high above them, made light, revealing jagged rocks and sharp edges. The smell of dirt walloped their nostrils, and they had to use the sleeves of their robes to cover their sense of smell from dust._

_The wind continued to grow in intensity, and the deeper they continued, the more the sense of dread aggrandized. _

"_What the hell is this place!?" Harry yelled, voice muffled by his sleeve and the roaring gust._

_It took a few minutes before things changed for the better._

_They were inmost the cave now, and the wind had died down, the dust cleared._

_They still had abundant vision of the place thanks to the copious amounts of torches, but that uneasy feeling never left._

"_Phew, I can finally breathe again!" Harry exclaimed, taking healthy doses of air into his lungs._

_Sillest never said a word, her head bowed._

"_Okay, the werewolf is somewhere in here. Since this cave only has one path so far, it's safe to assume that he's straight ahead."_

_He took out two vials filled with a red substance. He offered one to Sillest, who jumped at the sudden movement._

"_Hey, are you alright?" he asked concernedly._

"_I'm fine, I'm fine," she muttered, taking the object. "What is this?"_

"_It's a new thing I've been working on: a tranquillizer. It uses magic to take full effect. Just dip your wand into the solution, point at your target, and say __**Expelliarmus**_**."**

"_But that's a disarming spell. How in the Wizarding World does a tranquillizer work in that fashion?"_

"_I made it work," he shrugged. "I know it doesn't make much sense, but I tested it out a thousand times over until I got it right."_

"_So it's perfected."_

"…_Close to," Harry said with a grin._

_Sillest smiled and shook her head in mock disappointment. "What will I do with you, Harry?"_

"_What would you do without me?" He responded audaciously._

"_I think you've been hanging around us girls too long."_

_Harry was about to respond but suddenly whirled around._

"_Expelliarmus!"_

_The charm was fast, but the wolf was able to dodge it quickly. It scampered deeper into the cavern, disappearing into the only path._

"_Come on, we have to get him!"_

"_R-Right!"_

_They rushed after the wolf again, delving deeper and deeper, until the path finally ended, and they found themselves in a chamber-like area – nothing they had ever seen before._

_Harry stared at the place in shock. It looked like some sort of gathering hall. The walls were a tad smoother here than the rest of the cave. There was a large pedestal in front of them, littered with many candles around it. A few statues decorated either side of their surroundings. What attracted his attention about them was what they symbolized._

"_Snakes?" Harry muddled, confused by the craftsmanship. These didn't look like ordinary snake pillars. There was something eerily familiar about them._

_He saw something at the corner of his eye and acted on instinct._

"_Expelliarmus!"_

_He just missed the wolf, and the beast charged at him in reckless abandon. Harry jumped out of the way a second early before the creature could rip him apart._

_There was a crash and a sickening crunching sound. In his alert state, Harry deduced that the wolf must have smashed against one of the statues. _

_He turned around and prepared to cast his charm again, but was bushwhacked when he saw the werewolf's snarling teeth inches away from his face._

_It was too late to react. The wolf was too fast and his hand was too slow. He was going to be chow._

"_Expelliarmus!"_

_The wolf flew backwards and hit the wall of the cave gratingly. It fell in a heap on the ground, unconscious._

_Harry wobbled to his feet, dumbfounded that he had actually survived._

"_Are you alright, Harry!?"_

_He turned to the cry and saw a terror-stricken Sillest rush to him._

"_I'm fine, thanks for the save."_

_He inclined to the wolf and saw it sleeping soundly._

"_Well, I'd say that's a mission success. Let me send a beacon so Bill can come pick this up."_

_He raised his wand in the air, cast a spell, and saw the tip glow faintly._

_But then suddenly, it stopped completely._

"_Huh?" Harry said._

_ He tried again._

_Nothing._

"_That can't be right; it isn't broken, is it?" Harry asked himself, shaking the wand in vexation._

"…_Light magic is weak in here," Sillest said. She had her back to him, not turning around._

_Harry stared at her for a long time. How did she know that?_

_There were faint sounds of cracking in the chamber, Harry didn't know what to make of it, and so he took a step forward, wanting to investigate._

_Sillest's head perked up at his movements and she swivelled to face him. When she saw where he was going, she panicked._

"_Wait, Harry, not there!"_

_The ground gave out instantly beneath him. Harry didn't have time to process what had happened before he felt himself plummeting._

"_Harry!" _

_Sillest grabbed his hand, but he was too heavy to heave up, and he pulled her down with him._

"_Ahh!"_

_Harry thought that was the end for him. He thought he was going to hit solid ground and be nothing more than jelly. But he was floored when he fell deep into water._

_He rushed to the surface, gasping when he was able to breathe._

_He anxiously looked around for his partner. There didn't seem to be any sign of her._

"_Sillest!"_

"… _Over here!" Harry heard, accompanied by a series of coughs._

_He followed her voice, swimming frantically, and finally saw her on a rocky surface, breathing harshly._

_He joined her, falling flat on his back when he was clean out of the water. He splayed his arms and legs, exhausted._

_Sillest huddled herself on rocks nearby; her clothes were wet and she shivered from the cold, wrapping her body around her._

_Once Harry regained some energy, he sat next to her. He took out his wand and tried to create a heating charm. But nothing happened._

"_Bullocks."_

"_I told you, light magic doesn't have much affect here."_

_Harry sighed. "Yeah, but how did you know that?"_

"…"

"…_Sillest?"_

"…"

"…"

"…_I-I…I-I have a confession to make."_

_Harry looked at her, but kept silent._

"_I know this place," Sillest said with difficulty._

"_How? What is this place anyway?"_

"… _Did you see all the snakes?"_

"_Yes, what about them?"_

"_Don't they remind you of something?"_

_Harry thought about it. The symbols looked like a snake and…a skull? If he remembered correctly, that was…_

_The Dark Mark._

_Death Eaters, in the Dark forest? Well, that kind of made sense, but Harry didn't think that they had more than one base of operations. It was a good thing that they were gone, otherwise no one would have thought to look for them here._

_But then, what did Sillest have to do with it?_

"_This is a gathering hall and you were a Death Eater?" _

_That was a very shocking surprise, because if he was right, then Voldemort had more followers than anyone had realized, and Sillest worked for the Dark Lord._

"_No!" Sillest vehemently denied._

_Now confused, Harry asked, "So what do you have to do with this place?"_

"… _I was born here."_

_Harry's mind froze at the confession. He couldn't make heads or tails of what it meant._

_Sillest decided to clarify._

"_My mother was a Death Eater, the very first few. This isn't a gathering hall like you think it is but a…place of worship."_

"_A place of worship? People really thought that much of Voldemort?" He knew he should be on edge because of what she told him, but he couldn't. She hadn't made any effort to harm him thus far, and by the looks of things, she didn't plan on doing it anytime soon._

"_You're wrong, my mother never thought too highly of Voldemort. Rather, people worshiped another being they thought of as a god."_

"_Sillest, why are you telling me this?"_

"_Because I want you to know I could never hurt you!" she yelled, pleading. "I don't want to be judged by what my family did!"_

"…_Okay, continue. What is this being?"_

"_To clear things, early Death Eaters didn't openly follow Voldermort at first. The Dark Mark was his to begin with, but he didn't use it for the sole purpose of gathering followers. He was obsessed with supremacy, and introduced a new way of thinking."_

"_And?"_

"_Because of Voldermort, my mother came to idolize Salazar."_

"…_Who is Salazar?"_

_Sillest gave him a weird look. "Surely you must know. I mean, didn't you graduate from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?"_

_Harry thought about it. He found it hard to remember any mention of the name Salazar. Hell, he'd never heard of anyone on the school grounds with the alias._

"_Yeah, but I don't remember any Salazar."_

_Sillest sighed. "Don't worry, it will come to you."_

"_Alright, continue."_

_"I was born on a full moon, under some trying ritual. My mother barely survived it."_

_That was a weird thing to say. And Harry didn't think it was safe to pry on the whole 'ritual' thing. It sounded like it was a very off limits subject._

"_You haven't mentioned your father once," he noticed._

_Sillest flinched, but nodded in confirmation. "I…don't know much about him. All I knew was that he treated my mother badly."_

"_I see."_

"_I was never a part of the Death Eaters, my father was strongly for it, but my mother refused. She quit the Death Eaters, and ran away with me."_

"_I believe you," Harry said._

"_Really, so quickly?"_

_He raised his wand. "Even if light magic is weak here, it still somewhat works. I used a lie detector on you."_

_Usually a trick like that wouldn't have worked unless the subject was physically and mentally exhausted. Harry was lucky that the right time came for something as vital as confirming the truth._

_Sillest blinked twice, and then pouted. "Thanks a lot for the trust."_

"_Sorry, I had to be sure."_

_"In any case, that's basically the whole story. I stayed here until I was six before mother took me away."_

_Harry nodded his head. "Your mother did the right thing, protecting you."_

"_Yeah."_

"…"

"…_So"_

"_Yes?"_

"_Will you tell anyone about this?"_

"_Not if you don't want me to."_

"_How do you feel about it?" Sillest inquired, giving him her full attention._

_It seemed that the question was important to her, Harry realized. "It doesn't change anything between us."_

"_Really?"_

"_Really. No matter what your family had done, you're still Sillest Jones to me."_

"_Thank you." She smiled beautifully, blushing all the while. "You have no idea how much that means to me."_

_Harry smiled back. "Think nothing of it. You're my friend, Sillest, and I'll always have your back."_

"_I'll always have your back too, Harry."_

* * *

"Shit!" Ron panicked, rushing to the side and taking an embedded radio into his hands. "Get a medical unit in here now! Harry's been infected!"

"You're wrong, redhead." Ron whirled, and saw the vampire staring at him in irritation.

"Vampirism is not contracted by a mere kiss. It can only be transferred through a bite. I never bit Harry Potter, only shared my abilities with him."

"What the fuck does 'abilities' mean?"

Before she spoke, she turned to her side, eyeing a wand pointed between her eyes.

"I'll only ask you once," Harry gnarled, "where is she?"

"Harry, what the hell are you doing? You can't raise your wand at a patient!" Ron sputtered.

The woman looked disinterested in his threatening aura. "I am expendable, so nothing you do to me will make a difference."

"Are going to answer my question or not?" His wand started to glow.

"Harry, drop the wand!" Ron said warningly.

Harry ignored him.

"She has given you a grace period of twelve days. Only after then, will a clue be revealed to you."

"I don't have time for your bullshit! Where is she!?"

He grabbed her hospital gown and brought her face inches near his.

"Shit, Harry stop!" Ron shouted, marching towards the angry wizard.

"Twelve days," the woman answered.

Harry grunted and released her.

He fixed Ron with such a menacing glare that the Wealsey was rooted to the spot.

"Where's Bill!?"

"Tell me what's going on here first!"

"WHERE'S BILL!?"

Ron flinched at the shout. "He's having a board meeting with the Ministry superiors. But Harry-"

Harry didn't wait for Ron to continue. He promptly left the room in a rage.

Ron sighed and ran after him.

* * *

"You have done a great job, Bill. At first, we were skeptical in the very thought of establishing a separate Auror group after so many years of adhering to the same protocols and procedures, but your subordinates have proven reliable and professional," an old woman said.

Bill stood in front of a panel of higher ups. Minister Scrimgeour occupied the middle.

"Keep it up, there's a promotion in it if you do," another man said.

"Thank you, sir," Bill bowed.

The doors behind Bill opened with a bang, and in marched Harry.

The board was caught off guard, and could only watch in silence at the development.

"Bill," Harry screamed, "put me back on the force, now!"

Bill stared nervously at the board members. "Please excuse me for a minute."

The Ministry silently looked on as Bill dragged a raving mad Harry Potter out of the room.

Once they were out of earshot, Bill got down to the matter. "What the hell were you thinking, interrupting and important meeting like that?"

"Put me back on the force!" Harry demanded.

"Not happening; your two weeks aren't up."

"This matter is serious. I don't have time to waste!"

"Serious how?" Bill probed, raising a suspicious eyebrow.

Harry realized that Bill wasn't going to help him out until he was told the whole story.

The young man growled in frustration and starting leaving.

"Wait, Harry, what's going on?" Bill queried, but Potter was gone.

Harry went to his office. He started rummaging through stacks of papers.

"What are you doing?" Ron asked, coming into the room.

"None of your business, now leave!" Harry snarled.

Ron didn't move from his spot. "Is it about 'her'?"

Harry stopped what he was doing. He just stared at the papers and said nothing.

"What's going on, mate? You can't shut me out forever. I _will _found out what this is about eventually. So you might as well save yourself the hassle."

"Ron, just go away."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Dammit, Ron, don't get involved!"

"Too late. Talk."

"…Sillest is alive."

"…"

Harry took that as incentive to continue to search for what he was looking for.

"Sillest, Sillest Riddle?" Ron whispered.

"Yes," Harry gruffly answered.

"H-Ho-"

"Look, I don't know. All I know is that she's out there!"

"…So that's why you wanted Bill, so you could use your rank to go after her."

Harry didn't answer, but then again, he didn't need to.

"Then I'm coming with you."

"No! This has nothing to do with you!"

"That's where you're wrong!" Ron shouted back. "Listen to me, you stupid airhead, that bitch killed your wife-"

"Ron-"

"_**MY**__** sister**_. There's no way I'm going to let you do this on your own!"

Harry went up to Ron grabbed his collar. "Stay out of this! What do you think Hermione would feel if you were killed!?"

If he was trying to guilt trip him, Ron wasn't falling for it. "I should be asking _you _that. How do you think she, my parents, and my brothers would feel if we lost you too!? It would devastate them. And I won't be able to forgive you or myself if I allowed you to go out, head first into a trap! You're stuck with me, no matter how much you hate it!"

Harry cursed – this was the last thing he wanted. Ron wasn't backing down and there was little he could do to persuade the redhead.

"You don't have to do this alone, mate. We can mobilize the team. It will incre-"

"No! No one should be involved in this!"

Ron's eyes flashed with anger. "This isn't only about you! This woman is a criminal, and her being alive affects everyone around us!"

Harry relented his hold on Ron's shirt. He didn't know what to do. At the moment, he was a whirlwind of emotions. He didn't know which one to choose and stick with.

Ron took a few deep breathes and said, " The vampire said you have a grace period of twelve days before Sillest gives you a clue, right?"

"…Yeah."

"That means we got less than two weeks to come up with a plan."

Harry didn't feel it was an appropriate time to reveal that the Dark Lord was probably still out there too. But then something else clicked.

"How long is my leave for?" Harry asked urgently.

Ron looked confused for a second. "Well, it _was_ two weeks, but since two days have passed, you've only got twelve…days."

The last part was said in an astonished whisper. The pair stared at each other, both their eyes as wide as dinner plates.

Twelve days…Wait a second.

"She knew," they said in unison, horrified.

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_**Because I got more reviews than I expected, I decided to put more time in writing the story for entertainment sake! It's getting a lot deeper, isn't it? And we see a little more of what our hero has been through. And, Oh my god, Cho Chang!? Is she a definite romantic interest, or maybe just there for show? Only time will tell! **_

_**REVISED 2017/03/22**_


	6. A Hero's Pandemonium

_**Hey, was up! How you doing? Good? Good! Me? Well, I've been around. Actually, I was hoping to get a lot more reviews because of my last chapter, but unfortunately, I got a few for a lot of effort. Fortunately, though, those few reviews were positive. Now, it looks like I don't have many people interested in my story, but that's okay! Far too early yet, but soon you'll see how this story differs from a lot if not all fan fiction made here. However, I'm a bit down from the lack of support, so my effort won't be as fervent as before – like I said before, if you review more, you get more. Anyway, new update! Enjoy!**_

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**CHAPTER 6: A HERO'S PANDEMONIUM.**

The atmosphere in the room was tense. Anyone walking by would be put off by the grim tone of the vicinity.

Harry and Ron occupied two seats. Their faces were down, expressions dark and lost. It had been a long time since they used this very classroom. The normally bright and war-torn desks and seats seemed more metallic and unmoving.

Bill stood in front of them, eyeing the pair as hard as his rank above them allowed.

"So," he finally spoke, "let me see if I've got this right…"

He walked further ahead of them and finally rested his back on a wall, right next to the dark green chalkboard.

"…The only vampire we're treating here called _you_, Harry, under the pretense of an important message. After that, she kisses you, 'transporting' your consciousness to an area where physical aspects aside from a static background don't exist. Here…you saw Sillest Riddle, _in the flesh_, and she gave you a message that Voldemort is alive and we're running out of time."

"…I know how it sounds, Bill."

Bill stopped him from talking further. "Can you confirm that she _is_ alive and not just an illusion?"

Harry nodded - resolute.

"Then confirm it."

Harry sighed, shaking his head. "Okay, I _can't_ confirm it, but you of all people know that no amount of illusion could possibly work on me."

Bill raised a hand and twirled it in the air; he gave Harry a contemplative stare. "And how are we certain that illusion magic has no effect on you? Remember, Harry, magic is subjective. There's plenty we don't know or hasn't been discovered yet. Take your seal for example. You studied an experiment countless times with healing magic, through that you were able to discover an alternative way to use it effectively through an enchanted circular structure. Something like that should be unprecedented. I mean, why mess with what you already have, right? But in the end, you did figure it out, and in doing so, made history. "

Harry looked to the side, furrowing his brows. "I get it, there's a lot we don't know."

"That's right, so running to conclu-"

"But I know she's alive, Bill. I know Sillest is out there."

"And you're basing this on what the vampire showed you?"

"Yes."

Bill held his tongue. It was trying to tell right from wrong sometimes. The problem was he knew Harry had no reason to lie, especially to family – but even if he was telling the truth, the fact remains that he might not have been _fed_ the truth.

The older Weasley took a chalk into his hand. "Let's go a little further into this."

He started writing something down; Harry and Ron could only look on in baited breath.

"We have little to no understanding of who Sillest is or was," Bill said.

_Sillest Riddle_ was written on the chalkboard.

"She came to us under the alias Sillest Jones, deceiving not only the Ministry but her fellow Aurors as well. A thorough background check was done on her, but even so, we were still given false information."

Bill stared at Harry, reproachful. "…Do you remember that night…?"

The pause was all Harry needed to realize what Bill was on about. It was obvious that even a veteran like him was affected by it, since he was there to witness the atrocity for himself.

"_Will you do it, Harry? Will you really kill me? Didn't you say that you've always got my back?"_

Harry blinked harshly, casting the memory aside. "Yes, Bill…I remember."

Ron kept silent; this subject was extremely uncomfortable for him too.

"Then you _do _realize after what happened, there is no possible way Sillest could still be breathing."

"I know what happened! But I'm sure she found a way to survive!"

Bill gave him a blank stare.

"…From the killing curse?"

"…"

Bill sighed, feeling drained from thinking about it. "There's only one way to settle this."

* * *

The vampire didn't seem surprised by their visit; she just eyed them in the same dispassionate visage she always held.

"I knew you would come."

"Well, isn't that impressive," Ron drawled, sarcastic. "Of course we would be back after what you did."

"Who are you?" Bill directed.

The vampire turned to him. "My name isn't important."

"If it's not important, then you shouldn't have a problem with telling us what it is."

"…Sophia."

"And I am William, people call me Bill."

"I know who you are, Bill Weasley. I know who you all are."

The trio stared at her in confusion.

"I see… Then I guess introductions aren't necessary, Sophia."

Sophia only nodded.

"We are aware that you're a vampire, but what else don't we know about you?"

Sophia smiled for the first time they knew. "I'd expect no other question from you."

"What do you mean?"

"Do not mind. To answer your question, I was born a seer. In my goal to find Harry Potter, I was bitten by a vampire and turned into one."

"A seer," Harry muttered, "you mean someone who can see the future?"

"Of course, although in these times, we are a rare species."

Bill nodded in agreement. "I'm aware of that very fact. How were you able to remain hidden after all this time?"

"Hidden?" Sophia reiterated. "What makes you think that we're hiding from anyone?"

"Well, since your kind is hardly noticed by anyone, let alone the Ministry, should speak volumes of your efforts not to be discovered."

"Hm…that's one way of putting it, I suppose."

"So why come out of hiding now?"

"You truly misunderstand the situation. We seers were never hidden; we lived amongst you for centuries, we just don't highlight that we have the gift within us. Some may already discover that ability and not realize that their blood guardians or the guardian's parents are part of the seer lineage."

""ability'… Is that what you were talking about after you kissed Harry?" Ron asked.

Sophia shook her head.

"We're straying off here, Bill," Harry reminded, impatient.

"Right, right… Now-"

"If any of your queries concern Sillest Slytherin, you must all wait twelve days for any information."

There was that name again, Harry noticed. Something told him that _Slytherin_ wasn't something to take lightly.

"Sillest Slytherin?" Bill thought out loud.

"Yes, no doubt she is on all your minds."

And she read them like an open book.

Bill was skeptical with a few things, but decided to play it cool. "As a seer, did you see yourself in our facility?"

Sophia smirked at him. "You're very clever… No, I did not see myself in a situation like this."

"Do you see your own future or others?"

"It can be mine; it can be others. There is no fixed protocol really."

"I see. As suspected, seers have a limited window to what they can see – either that, or the future is randomly placed and you can't make sense of it."

"Very close, Bill. The future is never predetermined, even when I do see it. My visions are indeed random. They can concern any individual detrimental to significant impact. What that impact is, is not revealed to me."

"Why were you so determined to see Harry?"

"Because I had a message for him from Sillest Slytherin."

"And that message was?"

"I do not know. I was instructed only to use my ability of projection on Harry Potter."

"By Sillest?"

"…"

"Of course you were," Bill concluded.

"I cannot deny that."

"Why are you so cooperative?"

"Because you asked question that do not concern Sillest Slytherin directly."

Bill wanted to know if the Sillest Slytherin she was referring to was the same Sillest Riddle they knew, but she would rebuff any effort on that.

"Bloody hell. Is this Sillest Slytherin the same Sillest that we know?"

Sophia raised an eyebrow at the younger Weasley. "Wait twelve days."

"So that's how she knew how long my leave was, because of you," Harry said.

"Wait twelve days."

"Now do you see why I need to get back on the force?" Harry said to Bill.

Bill was still looking at the vampire in rapt interest. "Permission denied, Harry."

"What?!" Harry sputtered, enraged. "How can you say that after what you've heard?!"

"Because I know you, Harry. If I give your rank back to you, you won't wait, plan, or even accept help. You'd just go after her like you're invincible."

"And what the hell is wrong with that?!"

"May I remind you that Sillest isn't a normal criminal? That night when she went after Ginny and Lily, she was able to take down an entire Special Op squad of five, _on her own._"

"It doesn't matter-"

"No, it _does_ matter. We need a plan for when she does show herself and we don't need you impeding on progress because of a thirst for revenge. We'll take her down _together._"

Harry grinded his teeth together, growing more furious the more time was wasted.

"Is it a good idea speaking so freely in front of her?" Ron inquired, gesturing to the vampire next to them.

"He has a point. Who do you work for?"

Sophia stared at Bill for a long moment. "Sillest Slytherin."

"Are you the only one who works for her?"

Sophia frowned at him. Technically, the question wasn't prying on Sillest indefinitely, even if she was mentioned "No, there are many others."

"How many?"

"Thousands."

The men's eyes widened in unison.

"H-How can she have that many people working for her?!" Ron sputtered.

Since the question concerned Sillest directly, Sophia didn't answer.

Bill was still contemplating. Things seemed much more complicated than just saying Sillest was still alive. Something was definitely brewing in the darkness. He would need to talk to Shaklebolt about unifying the Special Op and Standard division in case of a possible compromise or invasion.

"Thanks for your time. We'll be going now," Bill said, beckoning his fellow compatriots to follow him.

Harry stared in anger at Bill's back. They were far from finished with Sophia, but Bill was the boss; there was no way he could argue against him.

Once they all left the room, Bill cut off any sort of protest.

"Here's what's going to happen. I'm going to talk to a few people and come up with a form of attack for when we do get any confirmation of Sillest's whereabouts – assuming she is the person we're looking for."

"Bill, what-"

Bill cut Ron off, saying, "You and Harry are_ not_ to do anything until I give you the go-ahead. So until I say _anything_ concerning Sillest, everything remains the same. No one else is to know what we know yet."

"We can still get information out of the vampire! If we do this right, she could divulge Sillest's location without realizing it!" Harry argued.

Bill fixed him with a peer. "Don't undermine my intelligence, Harry. Sophia is a seer. The reason she _told _us that was to let us know none of our little tricks would work."

"And how are you sure of this?! You could be running to the wrong assumption!"

Bill shook his head, evidently disappointed that Harry was letting his rage cloud his judgment. "Go home, Harry."

"But, Bill-"

"You are dismissed, Commander Potter!" Bill commanded.

Harry's mouth firmly shut, body stiff and unmoving. He struggled to control his emotions.

He wondered how Bill could remain so indifferent to the situation they were in now. Ginny was his sister too, and he was Lily's Godfather.

The young wizard blinked a few times, trying to calm himself. He regained some semblance of sanity, and forced a salute at the higher Weasley.

Bill nodded his head. "If anything comes up, you'll be the first to know. Come on, Ron, we've got work to do."

Ron patted his best mate on the shoulder, flinching a bit when Harry brushed him off and marched away from them.

The redhead sighed. "Bloody hell, Bill, you know how he feels about this."

Bill starting walking his own intended direction. "I know, Ron. I know Harry's angry, and I know how unfair this seems to him. But he _needs_ to calm down and think rationally. If Sillest did send him a message using a seer as a medium, then it's safe to say she's already anticipated our reaction towards the news. Furthermore, He-who-shall-not-be-named is a panicking perplexity on his own. If he's still alive, then the very foundation of the Wizarding World would be under serious jeopardy. All of us need to be on high alert and thinking coherently."

"I get it. It doesn't mean I like it." Ron muttered, looking back at the direction Harry left.

"Me too. These might be very dark times we're looking at."

* * *

Draco was fervently cleaning her manor. Today was the day her parents would be paying her a visit. They would be here in the evening, and considering it was already late in the afternoon, she didn't have as nearly enough time to polish the place up.

Even as a grownup, she still yearned for her parent's approval like a desperate child. Things never changed between them…Maybe that was the wrong thing to say, because things were definitely worse than her childhood days.

Like any parent, they already expected grandchildren from the blonde. They wanted the Malfoy legacy to live on and prosper for as long as possible.

Evidently, her ex-husbands were more than happy to deliver on their side, but they weren't the problem, she was.

Everything she grew up to believe, her perfection, pure-blood supremacy, was turned upside down. Her parents didn't help her much with coping, she had basically dealt with the crushing news herself. Well, her mother was a bit supportive, but it still wasn't enough to get rid of the sorrow.

She still tried to maintain her dignity as much as she could, to show them that she was worthy of their attention, especially her father.

He was a hard man, but she still loved him, and tried her best to embody the Malfoy persona, so at least he wouldn't be ashamed of a 'defective daughter'. It didn't make it hurt any less.

She had to make sure everything looked perfect. They were going to see her new daughter, and no doubt they'd scorn her because of her slave past.

She briefly stopped sweeping the floor.

Éclair…

Draco thought the little Veela had been through a lot, sure, but she hadn't expected it to be horrendous.

According to Éclair, her parents sold her off as early as the age of one. That tidbit of information was given by her then master, who was actually a nice person who treated his slaves as people, instead of property. She was still the very definition of a slave though, doing chores, tending to the Master's needs – which never led to sex…thank Merlin.

The Veela grew up as maid to a 'master wizard'. Even now, Draco still found it ridiculous that someone was that arrogant to think so highly of themselves.

Anyway, after five years of being under his wing, learning to speak, count, and etiquette, her master mysteriously disappeared, leaving all his slaves behind. That's when Éclair's life took a turn for the worst.

Draco shook her head. Those were definitely not thoughts she wanted to revisit.

Éclair was here and now. That's what mattered.

But, of course, she was too stressed to think too much on anyone but herself.

Éclair was happily drawing on a picture. It held two very old looking people with sinister expression. She noticed her mother had been acting a lot more restless on this day. She tried to ask on many occasions what the matter was, but her mother seemed more annoyed than willing to talk to her.

So she settled for wandering around, looking for something to busy herself with. It didn't take long for her to find it.

It was a picture of two old people, a man and woman. They both glared at her in contempt, interrogating her on her trespass. It was the very first moving image she had ever seen and it forced a yelp from her throat.

She had found it weird justifying her presence to a painting. When she told them about Draco adopting her, they sneered maliciously, demanding her filthy self to leave.

She was afraid by their venom, but offence easily dwindled that and she glared back. What followed was an argument.

If anyone, who didn't know about magic, saw what was happening, they would have thought Éclair had gone bonkers.

When she had enough of the painting calling her horrible names, she took a crayon and drew over the old couple.

"That will show you!" she yelled, her childish revenge eminent.

When Draco heard the shout, she approached the seated girl in curiosity.

"Éclair wha-What are you doing?!" Draco yelled.

She rushed and snatched the painting out of the Veela's hands, so violently that Éclair almost toppled on her chair.

"M-Mama?" the Veela stammered, feeling uncertain if she should even say a word.

Draco eyed the piece in horror. "No, this was a family heirloom…"

Éclair wringed her hands. That sounded very troubling. She just thought it was an ordinary painting with a bad mouth.

"I'm sorry, I did-"

"How dare you! Who gave you the right to destroy something so important?!" Draco yelled at the girl.

This was disastrous. She wasn't on good terms with her parents to begin with. Now, because of Éclair, her father was going to be furious.

So it was safe to say that she was upset, and her Malfoy blood could turn her nasty.

"Well?!" she angrily yelled.

Éclair's eyes were large. Her form trembled and she looked visibly terrified. She didn't say a word.

But Draco was scared herself, so she couldn't rationalize what she was doing quickly enough. Her parent's would definitely see her as nothing more than a waste of energy.

"What am I supposed to do now…?"

"Mama, I'm sorry."

Draco continued to stare at the picture in sorrow.

"Éclair, go to your room."

"Mama," Éclair pleaded, trying to touch the blonde, "I'm really sorry. I didn't know."

She was just seven. Even if she was a slave before, she was still a child, Draco tried.

But the moment Éclair touched her shoulder, she couldn't stop her annoyance wining out.

Draco wasn't perfect. She had her moments of rebound as a bully, even with children she cared for so much. She always tried her best to limit that side of her, but old habits died hard for a reason

She was too into her paranoia to stop herself. She swirled around, glaring at the girl. She raised a hand in the air, seemingly to hit her daughter….

But she forced as much will power into herself to stop mid-thrust. Her hand she shook in the air and she forced it to point to the Veela's room.

"Go to your room!" She ordered.

It was much more for Éclair's safety and Draco knew it.

If she had given in to her impulses, then Malfoy would be no better than her father, who physically hurt her if she was ever out of line. Growing up like that was never healthy. And she realized that she didn't want any part of Lucius in her system. She didn't want to be anything like her parents, concerning their treatment of their own child.

But, to her horror, the damage might have already been done.

Éclair stared at her with so much reproach, Draco thought she would cry. She trembled in obvious terror, on her knees and staring intently at any significant movement her mother made.

Draco took deep breaths, trying to calm her anger as much as she could. She had to own up as fast as possible, apologize for even thinking of harming her. She knew of the hell the little Veela had been through, and she feared she reminded Éclair of her past torment.

"Eclair, I'm-"

She made to comfort Éclair, hold her, made to say sorry, but Éclair whimpered and moved away.

She took off, closing the door as soon as she entered the safety of her room.

Draco's hand lingered in the air. She messed up, she messed up big time.

She contemplated going into her daughter's room and apologizing for how she reacted, but she didn't think it would be a wise idea.

"I…need to give her space. I need to cool off," Draco muttered.

She grabbed her hair in frustration. What turned out as a good day of communication ended up being one of the worst days of her life.

'Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it.' The words kept flooding in her thoughts.

Why did she do that? Why?!

She sighed in misery, deciding to continue fixing the place up for her parent's surprise visit.

* * *

"I'm home!" Ron called out in the seemingly empty building.

It didn't take long for a mop of red hair to dash to him.

"Daddy!" Rose yelled, happily jumping into her father's arms.

"Aw, how's Daddy's little girl?" Ron cooed.

"I'm fine Daddy, but Hugo spit on my hand today!"

Ron laughed. "Maybe he's just showing you how much he loves his big sister."

Rose pouted, but conceded defeat. "Maybe, but it was still icky."

Ron patted his little girl on her head. He was very lucky to have a family to love and cherish. He loved every, single one of them. They were so perfect together.

But…

His peace often reminded him of what Harry had lost. He was his best mate, so of course he would be affected by what Harry had been through.

Sometimes, Ron thought it was unfair. Here he was, a father and a husband, and Harry didn't even get the chance.

Sometimes he wished that Hermione still had that Time Turner, and it was powerful enough to undo what happened on that dreadful day. No one deserved to die.

Sillest Riddle was still out there, but there was nothing they could do about it. He would have to keep his wits about him very clear, however. Somehow, Sillest was aware of what Harry had been up to. How she knew these things, and how she was able to orchestrate a meeting with him, bewildered the young Weasley.

It was okay for now though. Bill had an emergency meeting with Kingsley. He didn't hear what the two were discussing, but it was obvious the two leaders were formulating a plan to counteract whatever Sillest was up to.

To think that vile woman survived killing herself in front of everyone.

Ron came back to reality. "Where's Mommy, sweetie?"

"Mommy's in the kitchen cooking!" Rose announced.

Ron raised an eyebrow.

"Huh, so why didn't she come and see her husband?" He murmured.

Rose heard him and answered, "She's talking to Aunty Cho."

Now Ron was surprised. The only Cho that came to mind was Cho Chang, but they hadn't heard from the Asian in years.

His interest piqued, Ron carried Rose to the kitchen. And true enough, he heard two people conversing.

"…You have to be headstrong when you're facing him. He can be quiet stubborn."

"I can only guess. How's his place?

"Oh, it definitely needs a woman's touch. The last time I was there, he's fridge was empty!"

"Oh my, I'll be sure to change that."

"Make sure you don't take any of his crap. Sometimes you'll really need to put your foot down to prove how serious you are."

"I see..."

"…Look, Cho, I'm not trying to diminish your chances or anything, but you better know that Harry can be _very_ hard to be around."

"It's fine, Hermione. I am prepared for cold shoulders and leave-me-alones. When Cedric died, I wasn't exactly pleasant to be around either, but Harry tried regardless…Now, it's my turn."

"You really want this, don't you?" Ron could tell Hermione was smiling.

"For the hundredth time, Mrs. Weasley, yes," Cho chuckled.

"Hi, honey, am I interrupting something?" Ron asked, entering the kitchen with a giggling Rose.

"Daddy's naughty!" Rose laughed.

"Yes, sweetie, I'm sure Daddy was eavesdropping."

Hermione approached Ron, kissing him on the lips. "Hi, love."

"Ew!" Rose protested.

"Shush, you," Hermione said, struggling to hide her grin.

Cho smiled at the interaction. She loved seeing a happy family together, and Hermione was a very lucky woman to have just that.

Hopefully, her time would come soon, with certain jade-eyed wizard.

"Hi, Ron," Cho grinned.

"By Merlin, I'd never thought I'd see such a face again.

Ron put Rose down, walked up to the witch and shared a hug.

They released each other and Ron began. "How are you? Where have you been?"

"I'm fine, Ron, and I was in America."

"Oh, it must have been nice there."

"You could say that."

He noticed the food on the stove. "So you guys are cooking?"

"Yeah," Cho answered. "Hermione was kind enough to invite me to dinner."

Ron nodded his head. "Rose, could you go and check on Hugo?"

"Aw, Daddy, he's gonna spit on me again."

"Rose, he loves you."

"Okay."

Rose rushed to Hugo, who was still in his crib upstairs.

"What's wrong, Ron?" Hermione asked.

Ron returned his gaze to the women. "So, I overheard you guys talking about my best mate. Care to explain what you're up to?"

Hermione and Cho exchanged a meaningful glance.

It was Hermione who decided to clarify. "Cho wants to get back with Harry."

Ron blinked a few times. "Whoa, you guys aren't joking, are you?"

"Nope!" Hermione chirped.

Ron stared at Cho. "Look, Cho, you're very beautiful woman and all that, but you'd be wrong in assuming Harry's looking for anyone right now."

"I know," Cho smiled.

"And you're still planning to…?"

"Yes, I am."

"Mione, love, I think you should explain the situation to her."

"I did, Ron; I told her everything."

"What about the fact that Harry is a cold, brooding, monotonous, and in some cases, an insensitive asshole of a man, who doesn't care about a woman's feelings!"

"Like I said, love, I explained _everything_. I, for one, think this is great for Harry. He's been through so much alone. And a woman who loves him, is _just_ what he needs."

Ron scratched his head, already knowing what was going on.

"You guys have a plan, don't you?"

"You got that right," Hermione replied.

Ron stared at Cho again. "I hope you realize what you're getting yourself into."

"I do, and thanks for supporting me."

"Are you nuts? I'm not supporting this! When Harry finds out about this, I don't want to be anywhere near his backlash!" Ron shouted.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Some husband you are, you chicken. It's fine though, because we expected that reaction, so you weren't included."

"Oh…really."

"Yeah, sorry," Cho said, grimacing a bit.

"No, no, I'd expect no less from Mione. But this is a bad idea, love."

"We're not manipulating him, Ron," Cho said.

"If you're so sure, I won't stop you." It would be better for them to learn the hard way, he surmised.

"Good," Hermione said, "but when this _does_ work out, I take all the credit."

"Yeah…"

Ron could admit it now. His wife was crazy.

* * *

Harry couldn't believe the day he had. He was bombarded with paparazzi. Word got out about him being still alive and everyone wanted a piece of 'The Legend'. They also found out about Ginny and Lilly's death, and female interests were large on the streets. It wasn't safe for him to be outside anymore.

He flopped on his sofa, deciding to muse.

He would need to find out how they knew of these things later on. Right now, he was exhausted. Bill wasn't any help and he was still livid with the older Weasley's attitude.

Sillest was still out there. She was still alive. And no one was doing anything about it.

It made him so furious on how people could be so careless. If he had to find her himself, he would.

From what the vampire informed, the traitor was gathering an army of sorts. She was definitely up to something.

He thought about back then, when she called herself Sillest Slytherin. Why Slytherin? Why was that name so damn important? He couldn't figure it out.

Actually, he was at a roadblock about many things. The first would be how she survived casting the killing curse on herself. He remembered it clearly. She didn't miss.

"_So in the end, you still choose her over me! Why?! I would do anything for you! She took advantage of your kindness. I would never do that! I love you, Harry!_

"…_Fine! If that's the way you feel, then there isn't a reason for me to be here, is there? I have no more reason to live!"_

"…_Goodbye, Harry….Don't forget me, okay?"_

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Harry was knocked out of his stupor. He hurried to the front door, ready to give anyone who wanted to ask stupid question a piece of his mind.

He opened the door, prepared to shout, but froze when he saw a crying Draco.

A _crying_ Draco...

Yep, this was definitely the twilight zone.

He stared at her in astonishment.

"I need your help!" She rasped.

Harry only had his mouth opened, confused on what to say. He had never seen her so shaken before. Her prideful aura was none-existent. She looked so desperate and in need. He wondered what could do that to her.

He didn't have to wait long.

"Éclair's missing!"

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_**Gotta hate those cliffhangers, ey? Sorry to keep it a bit short for now. This is more confirmation that I'm alive and that the story is still very much in progress. The second part to the chapter will be out soon. Wondering why it took me so long to update? That's because I'm starting my very first comic book (check out my profile and profile pic for clarity on that). I'll be back soon, don't worry, so be a little patient with me.**_


	7. A Hero's Pandemonium: Part 2

**CHAPTER 7: A HERO'S PANDEMONIUM: PART 2**

Draco sat on one of Harry's sofas, but she was still frantic.

Éclair was out there. God knew what she was going through.

She blamed herself. She overreacted and it scared her daughter away. She didn't even realise that something was wrong until her parents actually visited.

They were unreadable. She had no clue whether they disliked the whole notion of an adopted granddaughter or not. Thank Merlin she hadn't told them that Éclair was a slave prior.

She had called the girl numerous times. But every time she did so, there was no reply.

At first, she thought Éclair was being rebellious; she thought that the little blonde was just upset. But when she came into her room, noting no Veela inside and a window open, it took less than a second to figure out what happened.

She promptly ran out of the house, leaving two very bewildered guardians to ponder about their daughter's erratic behaviour.

Her manor was near a giant forest, and that was the region she was sure her daughter most likely used as a hiding place.

Draco looked around for hours, screaming Éclair's name until her throat hurt. But there was nothing…absolutely no response.

It wasn't as if the forest of it was dangerous, but even she didn't know what dwelled in it. There could be magical creatures that wouldn't hesitate to harm the indefensible girl.

After a frustrating period of searching, she had grown desperate, and she did the first coherent thing her mind thought up: going to Harry.

Draco feared the worst. Right now, she was borderline hysterical. Finding Éclair by any means necessary was the only thing running through her head. Seeking help from someone she didn't share a 'good' relationship with didn't matter when her child was in mortal danger.

No matter how much she disliked it, he was the only one she could turn to…In fact, he was the only person she could communicate earnestly with…

Oh Merlin…was Éclair right?

At the moment, her breathing was haggard. She looked like she was hyperventilating.

Harry had his eyes on her the entire time. If he had to be honest, he had only seen Malfoy truly distraught on a few occasion. But even then, it had never been this bad. She looked so out of touch with reality, biting her thumb in absent cognition.

"You need to calm down."

Draco glowered at him. The fire in her eyes only seemed to intensify.

"Calm down…calm down…calm down…How can I be calm when my daughter is out there, all alone?!" she screamed.

Harry kept his demeanour neutral. He guessed it was the way it worked between them. When he was angry, she was the one who was calm and talked him out of his funk, or at least tried to. It was these moments when their passed animosity took a back seat.

"_What would Ginny think of what you've become?"_

Now that he thought about it, that moment in the hospital wasn't a pause for mocking him. How could it? He had been too into his own world to notice or realize that in her own twisted way, Draco was trying to ease him from his tormented passed. That, or she really _was_ mocking him and he was painting a very different picture of his enemy.

Nevertheless, she was depressed, and he felt compelled – albeit begrudgingly – to calm her down and find out what was going on.

"Panicking isn't going to help us figure out where Éclair is," he stated.

She heard him, but struggled to comply. She couldn't help but label herself a monster for how she treated her daughter. Evidently, she felt she wasn't fit to be a mother after all.

When Harry noticed she relaxed somewhat, he decided to get to the bottom of the problem.

"What happened?"

"What do you mean 'What happened?'" the slytherin in her bit out, her pride trying to weasel a possible excuse from humiliation. "I think Éclair's missing sums it up!"

"How did she become missing. Was she kidnapped? Did she run away?"

He noted her flinch at the latter, although she tried valiantly to remain unvaried. He could only draw one logical conclusion from his observation.

"What did you do?" He asked - his accusatory tone grating.

She snarled at him. "How dare yo-"

"That's just the reaction I was waiting for. You _did_ do something, and you better fess up if you're ever going to get my help."

Just like that, the bastard figured her out. There wasn't any point in hiding it from him any longer.

Her frame deflated. She crashed on the sofa and looked up. She stared at the ceiling for a few seconds. After she realised she was wasting precious time, she decided to come clean.

"Éclair drew on a family heirloom that was centuries old and handed to me by my parents. I lost control of myself. I got upset and almost hit her. I told her to go to her room…I-I could see she feared me, and I was at a loss of how to deal with it."

She smiled bitterly. "After all this time, I guess you were right about me. I _am_ a horrible person."

Self-loathing, he deduced, but he didn't think the time warranted such a feeling.

"Why did you become upset?" Something as low as drawing on a stupid family gift shouldn't have affected her. It had to be something bigger than that.

She looked away then, whispering, "My parents informed me that they would be coming for a visit."

And now, he understood the real issue.

He nodded, grabbing his coat. "Let's go."

She eyed him for a second, measuring him up for some reason.

She stood up and followed him. "Fine then."

Before leaving, Harry made sure to thoroughly check his coat. He couldn't be sure, but he felt like he would need some of the potions and papers he was carrying. Even if he might have been overthinking things, it didn't hurt to be careful.

"What are you doing, you stupid bugger?!" Draco yelled, impatient. "You're wasting time!"

He shook his head, peering at her. "Didn't take long for you to come to your senses."

Draco shut her mouth. She looked straight ahead, blankly, not saying anything.

He might have hit a nerve, but at the moment, there were more pressing issues.

* * *

The forest itself was hard to see through. There were plenty of dark areas shaded in black.

Harry looked at the numerous trees and bushes in disbelief. It was huge.

"She disappeared in all that?" he asked his partner.

"That's most likely the direction. Do you think I would have asked for your help if I could deal with this much ground by myself?" she deadpanned.

She had a point. He should have expected something like this.

It was too large to search on their own. It would be impossible to locate her in the dead of the night together. This required a manhunt.

"What are we waiting for?" the blonde quizzed.

"It would be difficult to locate her in such a vast environment."

"What a great observation…Stop telling me what I know already!"

He thought to himself for a little while. In the back of his mind, he suspected there was a way to limit their search to only a few metres. But he couldn't figure out how yet.

Lightning struck the deepest part of the land. It was so bright that it temporarily blinded the couple.

As fast as it struck, it left. No hint of thunder in its wake.

"Lightning? But it's a clear night." Harry voiced.

True to his word, the stars decorated the black sky. There wasn't a cloud in sight.

Draco waited for the roar of thunder to echo the skies, but when she realised nothing came after a long while, she frowned.

Something felt wrong. They both suspected it.

"We have to hurry."

Harry finally had an idea.

"The seal. I can use that to pinpoint her location," Harry said.

"How?" Draco queried, raising an eyebrow.

"The seal allows my magic to be drawn to her body. I can use strands of it to converge on her."

They started walking.

Draco was still reeling from what she just heard.

"How does your seal work exactly?" she asked suspiciously.

Harry gave her a look. "It's not made to hurt her, okay? It's made specifically for healing magic. I use my magic and channel it into her body. After that, the body heals itself and the seal should disappear."

"And this has been tested how many times?" She already knew about Ginny and Lily's involvement. But if they were the only individuals he used the seal on, then the whole thing was less than credible.

"I lost count at a hundred. I used this on magical creatures that had injuries. Through that, I deduced that the seal works on anything with magical properties."

"So does this seal of yours _only _take healing magic?"

"Why are you so interested?" Harry inquired, finding it strenuous to focus on more than one task.

"I'm not certain, but I think your little invention might have done something to her."

Harry stopped his strut, forcing Draco to do the same.

"Something like what?"

That was the first time she ever saw him visibly uneasy. She hoped it didn't mean she had more to worry about than just finding her child.

"She was able to perform a Patronus Charm on a whim."

Harry stared her down. Even he found what she said hard to believe.

"When did she do this?"

"At the hospital ward, before I adopted her."

If she was able to answer seriously without any wit, then she was telling the truth.

But how was that possible? He couldn't have transferred_ all_ his magic into her, otherwise, he would be dead, or unable to apparate. And since he was able to do _that_, he found it perplexing that Éclair had so much power.

"I'll analyse her as much as I can and get to the bottom of that."

The same old thing, Draco mentally hissed. The fact he needed to analyse her in the first place worried the mother.

"I'll remember what you just said," she announced. There was little else she could say on the subject. He had already made it abundantly clear that he had minuscule comprehension on how his devices worked.

They looked as much as possible, searching timorously around each specific location. The magic he expelled from his body pointed out that Éclair was indeed in the forest. It narrowed her expected location, but didn't express her _exact _position.

"Éclair!" Draco screamed.

She was getting more and more worried. Harry's little seal wasn't providing as much help as she expected. They were still in the dark of where the little blonde was.

"Éclair!"

"You need to keep it down. We don't know what else is out here," Harry warned.

He was on edge, looking each side with a guarded obverse. He couldn't completely understand, but he had the distinct feeling that he was being watched.

"Screw you, Potter, my child is out there! Éclair! Please, sweetie, answer me!"

He grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look into his eyes. "Calm down, Draco! I can feel us getting closer, but we should be careful."

Her eyes shook as she stared at him. She tried to wiggle old of his hold, but he held her firmly.

"Let me go!" she screamed, squirming harder.

"Malfoy, stop, you're going to-"

They didn't realise that they were at the edge of a hill, covered in leaves and grass, before it was too late.

Draco slipped. Harry tried to keep his hold on her, but she fell out of his grip and tumbled down.

"Shit!" he cursed. He tried going for his wand so he could levitate her, but the darkness below swallowed her whole.

The sound of her hitting branches and grass lasted for what seemed like forever. Until, suddenly, it stopped.

All was quiet. It looked like the wildlife felt like something was wrong as well.

He looked urgently for a way to go after her, but the blackness gave him little room to choose a suitable place to use.

He aimed his wand straight at the path Draco fell.

"Lumos Maxima!"

Light filled the tip of the wand, and Harry threw it towards Draco's destination.

It lit up the place immediately, and it enabled him to see a down Draco at the bottom.

"Malfoy!" he called, looking passed his hypocrisy for the time being.

His only answer was a moan. He watched as Draco stirred from her dazed slumber.

She slowly looked up from her prone position. The first thing Harry's Lumos allowed her to see was her unconscious daughter.

Her drowsy state forgotten, she was up in a second. "Éclair!"

"Did you find her?!" Harry yelled.

"Yes! Get down here now!" She sounded like she was in tears.

Thanks to illuminating the area, he was able to find a path to use.

He hurried down the hill, almost tripping on his way.

Once he landed, he noticed Draco carefully cradling Éclair's head to her chest. She was rocking back and forth, her breathe sounded shaky.

The Veela's clothes were torn in some places. It looked like she had a nasty fall, just like her mother.

"O-Oh M-Merlin p-please," Draco softly cried.

She held Éclair close, dreading the worst.

Harry approached them cautiously. Things looked really bad from his vantage point.

But just then, he noticed something important: Éclair was still breathing. Not only that, she only seemed to have dirt on her, no scratches or bruises.

Of course, the seal, he should have known.

Since it hadn't disappeared, it's only logical course of action was to _keep_ healing Éclair anytime she was hurt. He felt utterly stupid for forgetting something so crucial.

"Draco…"

Her weeping was definitely making him uncomfortable. She probably thought the worst of the situation. He had to snap her out of it.

"Draco, it's okay, she's fine!"

Her teary eyes blared at him. "How can you say that when...?"

He chose that opportunity to approach more urgently. He crouched down near her, intending to touch the little Veela, but Malfoy shielded her.

"Don't touch her!" She sniffed, feeling so many emotion running through her.

Harry shook his head, exasperated. She was making a fuss out of nothing, and he had run out of patience.

"Malfoy, look at me!" he commanded, staring hard at her.

She paused, staring at him in confusion.

Harry used the distraction, tenderly grabbing her hand and placing it on Éclair's chest."

"Do you feel it?"

Draco calmed down, and it allowed her to feel Éclair heartbeat.

"Look at her," he said.

She did as he said.

From the naked eye, excluding the dirt, Éclair looked perfectly fine.

"See, she's fine."

Draco mentally agreed. She didn't look like she was in pain. So it was safe to assume she just fell unconscious.

She caressed her baby's cheek, sighing in relief.

Harry ran a wand up and down the Veela's body. There were no injuries, external or internal.

"Yeah, she's fine," he confirmed.

"Thank Merlin," Draco breathed out.

Harry sighed, tired of the whole debacle, and laid right next to her. He used a tree to support his back, watching in rapt interest as Draco tended to her daughter.

The way she acted, crazy and irrational, proved without a shadow of a doubt she cared very deeply for the Veela.

He sighed again, finding the silence unwelcoming.

After a few minutes, Draco broke the void.

"I'm not made to be a mother, am I? Look at what I've done…I'm a horrible mother."

Harry assumed the question was rhetorical, but felt enlightened to shed some light.

"You're a good mother," he muttered, not looking at her.

He knew that he had her full attention then. It was common for anyone to seek validation that they weren't as disgusting as they thought themselves to be.

She didn't say anything, oddly waiting for him to continue.

"A horrible mother wouldn't have worried about her own child like you did. She wouldn't have acted so erratic, or even thrown caution to the wind to make sure her daughter was safe. You did both, which, in this case, was natural for any parent."

Draco chose that moment to look at Éclair's face. Harry was strangely reassuring. Part of her felt revolted that she had been so weak to cry in front of him. But another part of her couldn't care less.

Her daughter was safe. Her daughter was safe.

"Even if you say that, Harry, I still hurt her – maybe not physically, but…"

She sounded different. Her usual annoying comments were largely absent.

"You shouldn't be too hard on yourself for one mistake. Nobody's perfect, and being a parent is no exception. There will be moments where either you or Éclair will mess up somewhere. What's important is that you acknowledge your wrongs and fix them. You're just starting out, and you both have little to no knowledge about your likes and dislikes. It takes time."

That was strangely sweet of him. Even though his indifferent gaze made it seem like he was just stating facts, she couldn't stop herself from losing reality in his green eyes.

When she realised she was staring too long, she sharply looked the other way, blushing slightly. She felt like slapping herself. What the hell just happened?

Harry raised an eyebrow. He had seen behaviour like that before, but wisely decided not to comment on it.

"…Thank you."

It was said in a whisper, but luckily for Draco, Harry was able to pick it up.

"For what?" he asked, surprised. It wasn't every day that Draco showed her appreciation so blatantly.

"For helping me find her. And…for cheering me up."

He really didn't know what to say, so he settled for, "Sure."

There was another pause, followed by Draco punching him on the shoulder.

"What the hell are you doing?!" he yelled.

"If you tell anyone that I was crying, I mean _anyone_, I'll torture you!"

Harry clicked his tongue, but said nothing. He decided to let it slide. She was just embarrassed.

He looked up at the sky, running a hand through his hair. When he brought it down, it connected with Draco's, and they both stiffened at the contact.

For reasons unknown, neither made an effort to pull away.

Harry found it difficult to believe Draco wasn't yelling at him for touching her. He found it harder to believe that he didn't pull away like he'd been burned.

For her part, Draco was finding it difficult to think straight. She knew that Harry's hand was on her own, but she couldn't force herself to pull away. Her face felt hot.

This whole situation was way weird for the both of them, but…not _that_ bad.

"Aw, would you look at that? Aren't they cute together?"

Harry pivoted to the voice. His senses were blaring at him, warning him. He couldn't believe his eyes as he stared at two people, floating above him.

The first was a short, young-looking girl. She had shoulder length raven hair split at each end. Her eyes were golden, glowing brightly in the darkness. She wore a white rope, decorated with red-lined patterns, that looked slightly too big for her. Her arms were folded, and she stared at the trio condescendingly.

The second one was an older woman. Her hair was long and bright brown. She had green eyes that glowed with the same intensity as the person next to her. She wore the same white outfit, but hers fit her more alluringly, highlighting her well-developed body. She stared at them blankly, her expression unchanging.

Draco honestly thought that she was dreaming. The two women didn't seem to be using anything to keep themselves in the air – no broomsticks, nothing. It oddly reminded her of her Death Eater days, when she saw Voldemort use a spell to fly. The problem was, this didn't seem to be the case. They seemed to be flying on their own accord, without the need of aid.

"Who are you?!" Harry demanded.

The shorter one snickered. "Wow, even now, you guys are _still _holding hands."

This time Harry and Draco did pull away, somewhat embarrassed that they hadn't noticed until now.

"How adorable," the shorter one mocked. "Well, too bad for you, bitch, that man is already spoken for!"

Harry stood up straight. He had never seen these two individuals in his entire life, but their aura of superiority forced him to be on high alert.

"Darana, we need to leave, now," the older one said, her no nonsense demeanour holding no room for debate.

"Relax, Sis, I'm only testing the waters, so to speak."

Harry swiftly stood in front of Draco and Éclair. He drew his wand.

"Identify yourselves immediately!" he ordered.

He had both of their attention. The two girls blinked at him a few times.

After a few seconds, Darana smirked. "Or what?"

Harry pointed his wand at them. "If you don't comply, I'll be forced to stun you."

Darana raised her brows at the threat. "Oh, really?"

She descended to the ground, landing a few feet away from him.

"Darana," her sister warned.

She ignored the older girl, raising her hands. She balled them into fists and took up a boxing stance.

"Give it your best shot." Her hands started to glow like dim flashlights.

Harry had no idea what was going on, but he intended to find out.

"I'm warning you! Stand down and identify yourselves!"

"Tch! You're not going to do anything, huh? Let me give you some motivation."

In a moment, she was right in front of him, her body bellow his chin.

Harry felt like time stood still when he looked down and caught her gaze. She didn't look afraid. Moreover, her speed was astonishing. It was only then that he saw the dust she gathered behind her.

She gave him an uppercut. For someone as small as her, it shouldn't have meant much, but Harry flew fast and banged directly against a tree. The bark cracked against the force.

He landed in a heap on the ground. The sting on his jaw was jarring. He worried that some bones were broken. He felt the wind knocked out of his lungs.

He struggled to tell up from down. His vision was blurry, unfocused.

"Harry!" Draco yelled after him. Such display of superhuman strength shocked her to the core.

Just who in the hell were these people?

Darana flipped her hair, turning away from the bruised wizard. "Really, Cynthia, this is supposed our future King? I'm a bit disappointed."

"Enough, Darana…you've had your fun, now let's go." Cynthia said.

"Aw, but I'm bored!" she whined.

"Crucio!"

Draco took advantage of their distraction. She cast the spell fast enough to take the short girl by surprise. It would be impossible, even with her unnatural speeds, to dodge the curse.

It hit Darana fully, and Draco expected to see the little scum wither in pain and discomfort, but was floored when nothing happened.

Darana turned to the person that cast the spell. She barked into laughter, finding the whole thing ridiculously funny. "Did you really think that was going to work?"

Draco could only stare with her mouth agape. If she had found Éclair a mystery before than these people were ten times that. The fact that a forbidden curse like that didn't work through her for a complete loop.

"Maybe it would have on my sister over there," Darana made a show of indicating her sister, "but long range magic has no effect on me. I'm a quarter-Dragon."

A quarter-Dragon, Draco reiterated in her mind. A hybrid like that did not exist in the Wizarding World, it couldn't. No cross-species of that nature was ever recorded or spoken of.

"That's impossible. Something like that doesn't exist in this world."

"Fah! Did you honestly think your world was the only one that existed?" Darana cheekily countered.

"What?" Draco whispered in astonishment.

"Darana, that is enough!" Cynthia yelled. "Her highness will be furious with what you've done. You have strayed away from our orders."

"Will you chill, Sis? I didn't hurt him _that_ badly. Frankly, I'm surprised that he's still conscious. Besides, Queen Sillest didn't say we couldn't exactly see him, did she?"

"I suppose," Cynthia relented somewhat.

Draco pointed her wand at Darana, pondering which spell she could use. She could barely hear the name they spoke of, only actually catching the Queen part.

She needed to focus though. She had to protect Eclair from any enemy.

"Save it," Darana waved her off. "Simple magic like yours will be wasted."

Draco glared at her. She would show that cocky bitch!

Darana stared a moment longer. She noticed Éclair, more importantly, what was on her chest.

"Oh," she said wondrously. "So that's what the original mark looks like!"

She smiled and showed part of her chest, revealing a seal that looked similar to the one on Éclair, yet far more complex and intricate.

"Ours is better," she boasted.

Already confused with what was happening, Draco couldn't understand what another seal implied.

After a moment, Darana's bright attitude darkened.

"It's nothing personal, but no one touches that man but our Queen."

She cracked her knuckles a few time, then started approaching Draco.

Malfoy's hand shook, the wand trembled. It looked like there was nothing she could do against such a powerhouse. The girl radiated magic at a gargantuan level.

A million questions were going through the blondes head, none of them could be answered.

"Re…Release inhibitors!"

Harry said it with difficulty, but the command came across.

Bright white circles manifested around his wrists. It took a few seconds for them to disappear. Not a moment after, a huge burst of magic shot through his body, covering it in a transparent, white hue.

Both the intruders and Draco could only stare in surprise at such an unexpected turn of events.

Harry used that moment of confusion and blasted at the supposed highbrid like a seasoned track star, dirt trailing seconds behind his supercharged acceleration.

His speed wasn't as fast as Darana's earlier display, but he was still able to catch her off guard.

Darana had little time to react. She hadn't expected such an alien move from someone who was so dependant on a wand as a focusing medium for his magic.

He raised his fist and shot it forward. It was covered in different arrays of colour. It looked like a devastating blow.

There was a loud clap that resonated in the area, followed by the still silence.

Cynthia had moved to intercept and caught his hand effortlessly, inches away from Darana's face.

Harry winced as he shared the force of the impact, but it didn't seem to have affected Cynthia – who held the same stony expression as before.

Darana would have retaliated had it not been for her sister, who grabbed her by the ear and twisted hard.

"Ouch! Sis!" Darana complained.

Cynthia gave her a look, then turned to Draco. "I apologise for her behaviour."

She turned to Harry, let go of his hand and bowed. "Forgive us, your majesty, she is still young and brash."

"He isn't our King yet!" Darana complained, followed by an, "Ouch! Stop pinching me!"

They both flew into the air, one complaining and rubbing her ear, the other scolding.

"You're in for it now. Come along, before your cause more trouble!"

They flew away from the area, so fast that their forms blurred into the night.

Harry's breathing was laboured. He didn't think he'd had to use magic such as this so early into its development. But he had little choice. If he hadn't, then Draco and Éclair could have been killed.

"Reattach inhibitors," he ordered.

White rings again appeared around his wrists, disappearing immediately.

The glow around his body left, as if it never existed.

In an instant, he was on his hands and knees, coughing viciously. Even now, he struggled to breath normally. His body was still in shock from hitting the tree and releasing so much magic at once.

Draco had no time to ponder who those people were. She was more worried about Harry. She had never seen such display of raw power without the use of a wand. It staggered her understanding of magic to its basic level.

"We…we have to get out of here…" Harry coughed out, staggering to his feet.

Draco understood what he meant. They weren't safe in the open.

* * *

"She is our daughter, Lucius, and I'm tired of this!" Narcissa yelled at her husband.

They had been arguing for the past hour. Lucius had grown impatient waiting for Draco to return and opted to leave. Narcissa was having none of it.

"Then where is she, better yet, where is our so called 'granddaughter'? I've wasted my time coming here!"

"She must have had a good reason for leaving in a hurry. And I have had it up to here with your attitude! We're not getting any younger! Do you want her to resent us later on? Do you want her to exclude us from everything she does?"

"It's not like it would make much of a different," Lucius scoffed.

Narcissa glared at him, fuming, "I have been putting up with your crap for far too long! When Draco gets married to a good man, I want us to be the first people who know about it for once!"

"Oh, like her first and second husband?" Lucius spat.

"Don't give me that bullshit! Those assholes only married her for her wealth! And may I remind _you_ that it was _**you**_ who picked them without telling _**me**_!"

That got to him. For the first time in his miserable life, Lucius was silent.

Narcissa nodded in satisfaction. "Things _will_ change around here. And the first point of order is getting close to our baby again."

"…"

"Got it, Lucius?!"

"…Yes."

"Good!"

The Malfoy pair heard the front door open and slam shut.

Narcissa went ahead, prepared to interrogate her daughter…

But upon noticing the spectacle that greeted her, her words died in her mouth.

"Did you put the wards up?" Harry questioned breathlessly. He checked to make sure that he was holding Éclair securely.

"Yeah, they should be at maximum capacity," Draco answered. She too was also out of breath. She used the front door to support her back.

Narcissa could immediately recognise the Boy-who-lived in front of her. She had only read the papers on his discovery. To see him here, together with her daughter and a little girl…An old mother couldn't stop her hopeful thoughts.

She saw wedding bells in the distance.

But first thing was first.

"What the bloody hell happened to you lot?!" she screeched, eyeing their disheveled forms.

Harry felt way too tired to deal with another raging mother.

Lucius came at once. He stared at the trio in front of his wife for a few moments.

"What the bloody hell happened to you lot?!"

Harry and Draco blinked at the man a few times, both finding it an odd reaction.

"Oh goodness," Narcissa whispered as she approached them. "Is that my granddaughter?"

The little girl was filthy, but very adorable in her sleep.

"Can I hold her?" The words escaped without much coaxing.

Harry handed Éclair over to Narcissa.

Draco was immensely surprised with her mother's behaviour. She had expected her to be reproachful, not gushing with joy.

Lucius was still trying to figure out how the trio got so dirty.

"She's beautiful and quite small," Narcissa murmured. She also noted how thin she was. That question would be for later.

"Now," the older woman began, "I've got a lot of questions for both of you, but I want answers on what happened first."

"Well, Mother-"

Draco was interrupted by a thud. It was then she realised that Harry passed out.

"Oh crap, Harry!" she shouted, worriedly crouching down and checking on him.

"Wait, is that Potter?" Lucius questioned, mildly surprised. This day was just way chaotic for his taste.

Narcissa gave him a grin, doing a little jig to show Lucius how thrilled the very fact that Harry Potter, the most famous wizard in the world, seemed to be very close to Draco.

Or at least, that's what he assumed from his observation.

The man shook his head. The last thing he had been expecting was this much pandemonium.

* * *

_**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**_

_**And as promised, the second part of the chapter is done. You can always count on me to deliver. A lot has happened, and things are starting to get even more mysterious. Who were those two girls? What sort of magic did Harry pull? Only I know the answers to that. Hahaha! Until next time, peace!**_


	8. Phase 00: Infiltration

**Chapter 8: Phase 00: Infiltration.**

The first thing Éclair noticed was that someone was definitely caressing her hair. She felt drowsy, like her muddled mind was trying to force her to keep sleeping, but she couldn't keep her eyes closed forever.

She couldn't remember much. She could not recall anything at all. It felt as if something important to her happened, but no explanation was willing to come forward.

The hand on her head felt very nice. At least she was somewhat used to the feeling of her mother. Her mother…

She groggily peered, gauging her surroundings, and was vaguely surprised to realise she wasn't in some sort of cage surrounded by unsanitary fluids. She remembered the place now. It was her room, filled with a variety of soft and fluffy décor. She didn't like that huge, white teddy bear that was beside her dresser, but she never wanted to seem ungrateful to her adoptive mother. The mother who took her in and visibly showed her kindness she hadn't seen since her first master; kindness that was an alien but welcomed variation from her past slavery. The mother that didn't have second thoughts of caring for her.

The mother that had tried to hit her.

Her eyes widened, her breath quickened and she started to shiver. The more she became aware, the more she realised that she ran away from home. In the past, running away from someone that owned her meant severe punishment. There was a particular image she could never hope to erase. The beating she endured from one of her owners almost killed her. If it wasn't for the pleas from her fellow servants, that hot tempered master wouldn't have stopped.

Thinking about that made the young Veela extremely fearful. To think that she thought of herself as free from past torment. To think she thought of herself happy to find someone that could give her a chance at being loved, at being adored, at being praised. She honestly thought her hellish cycle ended with Draco, but evidently that didn't seem to be the case.

She could feel fresh tears gathering in her eyes. She whimpered feebly when the caressing on her head stopped. She didn't dare turn to Draco, and mentally prepared herself for the worst.

"Éclair?"

From what she could hear, Éclair would have misunderstood Draco's voice sounding worried. But that couldn't be. It was too good to be true. She merely wished to validate whether she was ready for her punishment or not.

The little Veela tried to mould her body into a ball; she tried to shield herself from the abuse she was sure to come, but Draco never gave her a chance to.

Her adopted mother lifted her up. She held her face in place with her hands. Éclair couldn't look away from her even if she wanted to. They were eye-to-eye, and it allowed the little Veela to actually see what Draco's eyes had hidden: relief, worry and confusion.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" Malfoy asked softly, gently turning Éclair's head from side to side to confirm any injuries.

The Veela merely shook her head, with difficulty. She dared not speak, dared not keep eye-contact – fearful of what Draco would do to her.

For her part, Draco already expected Éclair to behave reproachfully. It was only natural, made even worse with her experience as a slave.

The mother mentally kicked herself again, severely rebuking her rash and stupid actions. She should have handled the situation better, but she let her temper get to her.

"Éclair?" she gently called.

Éclair hesitantly looked her way, her azure eyes pleading for mercy.

It was all Draco could do from sobbing on the spot.

Draco released her hold on Éclair's head, and attached her hands on the Veela's shoulders. She looked Éclair in the eye, hoping the girl could see how much her mistake was eating her up inside.

"I'm sorry." Saying that made her throat hurt. She was becoming more nervous as time lapsed on, but she was determined to make things right. "I never should have done that. After everything you told me, I never should have raised a hand to you. I completely understand why you're afraid of me now. Sweetie, please forgive me. Please give me another chance."

Éclair noted the desperation in Draco's tone. It made it pretty clear that Draco was affected by what happened, too. Still, Éclair was just a little girl. It was extremely hard for her to trust people before. And when that trust was shattered, it was difficult to try and re-forge it.

The girl kept silent, only staring at Draco with unreadable eyes.

Draco struggled not to bite her lip in frustration. She had no idea on the right way to make up with her daughter. She earnestly hoped that a heartfelt apology would be enough to at least have the girl talking to her, but it was proving a lot more difficult than she envisioned. What else could she say? What else could she do to try and earn her daughter's trust again? She had no clue.

The Veela looked away then, eyeing the white teddy bear. It was a long time before she spoke. "…You know about my life. I told you everything. You know about the days I was…tortured and beaten."

"Yes," Draco answered, not knowing if she could comment or not.

But Éclair merely continued. "Ever since I could walk, I was treated like nothing more than property. I would be sold from master to master - forced to obey any sort of command; forced to gather strength my small body could never have. If I disobeyed, if I failed even if I tried, I was disciplined."

Draco couldn't help but hold her closer. She knew that it must have been hard for Éclair to speak about her past over again, but she didn't want to interrupt. At least Éclair was talking – that's what mattered.

Éclair turned to her again. "I'm not upset at you, Mama… I'm sorry for drawing on your painting."

Even though things seemed to the naked eye that they were resolved, Draco, being very perceptive, noticed how off Éclair was. She noticed that Éclair's words as a whole were not coherent. Her daughter obviously had more she wanted to say, but chose to focus on an apology instead. That wasn't good enough. If Éclair had something she wanted to get off her chest, then now was the time.

"I forgive you, sweetie… Tell me what you were heading to when you told me about being disciplined."

Draco hoped she didn't come off as insensitive (like a certain wizard).

Éclair gave her small smile. "I know you want us to communicate earnestly. And I promise we will. All I ask is for a little more time. It doesn't mean I don't trust you-"

"You don't have to give me a reason, Éclair. I understand. I mean, we've only been together for a few days. Being completely open to each other wasn't going to be possible. But I really hope we can be a real family in the future."

This time, it was Éclair who initiated the hug, surprising Draco. "I'm sure we will."

They continued to hug for a little longer, basking in each other's warmth.

"You two do look quite beautiful together."

Éclair and Draco turned their gaze to the door. Narcissa looked at them with a sort of detached yet envious expression.

Draco quickly righted herself, although was careful not to harm her daughter.

"Mother, I didn't notice you come in."

Narcissa eyed her daughter for a good ten seconds. She noted how quickly Draco tried to hide any sort of emotion when directing the conversation between them. She had been like that for years, because she wanted to follow in the footsteps of her father. Long ago, Narcissa would have been very proud of how well Draco exhibited the Malfoy persona with practised poise. But then, that would mean that she should have been revolted by the fact that Draco not only didn't have an heir to the Malfoy name, but adopted a half-blood instead.

For generations, the Malfoy family prided themselves with housing nothing more than pure-blooded and capable witches and wizard. Technically, this would be the first time in history that a half-blood would be accepted as part of the Malfoy House.

Recalling that reminded Narcissa on who she was before.

"I'll be with you in a moment, sweetie," she cooed the young Veela, and then turned to Draco. "Can you and I chat for a bit?"

Draco nodded robotically, keeping her gaze cool and controlled. She followed her mother into another room.

For her part, Draco was surprised by how her mother acted towards the Veela. She thought she dreamt last night up when her mother called Éclair beautiful. She was sure she was seeing things because she was disoriented. Right now, however, she had no idea what to think.

She sat beside her mother on a bed, and waited in baited breath to hear what the woman had to say.

Narcissa exhaled softly and began. "So, there are a lot of things I want to ask about, especially about yesterday. But I will forgo that topic for later. I just want to know one thing right now."

Draco stiffened, prepared for the worst.

Narcisaa stared into Draco's eyes. "How are you?"

Not expecting such a question, Draco was momentarily confused. "What?"

"How are you feeling? Have you been doing well? It has been sometime since we last saw you."

In fact, the last time they saw her, it was the day when she informed them of her two divorces and the fact that she couldn't have kids. She remembered the day very clearly, for it was the _worst_ day of her life.

Draco tore her eyes away from her mother, feeling a bit awkward with the light conversation. "I…uh…I've been doing well, I guess."

Narcissa also recalled their last visit. If she had to be frank, it was a day she wanted to bury in the deepest grave and forget about altogether.

When Draco broke the news that she couldn't have an heir, it really tore at Narcissa. Knowing that the Malfoy lineage ended with Draco made her question whether there was something wrong with her; whether it was something she did before giving birth to Draco that made her daughter defective; whether or not Draco should have been born or at least someone else.

She wasn't proud of the last rumination. It made her sick inside that she could think of such things concerning Draco. But she did, and left Draco's manor without so much as a goodbye.

At least she wasn't like Lucius, who very clearly implied that they may have made a mistake when it came to giving Draco life.

Looking at her daughter, Narcissa was sure that Draco must have been devastated. She must have thought the worst of her and Lucius. She must have cried all alone, blaming herself for people turning their backs on her. Just visualising those kind of events made Narcissa want to cry on the spot.

She steeled herself, keeping her eyes on Draco. "She's quite beautiful, your daughter."

"Éclair."

"Eclair, that's a pretty name."

"Yes…"

Narcissa smiled at Draco's apprehensiveness. "You don't have to be so nervous around me, Draco."

If she was expecting things to change just like that, she was sorely mistaken. In fact, Draco seemed to retreat more into herself, her eyes turning a little colder.

Narcissa sighed again. She nodded once. "Okay."

The next thing Draco knew, she was being hugged by her very own mother. She hadn't been held by anyone like that since she was a child. So it was quite an alien feeling.

Narcissa released her, and grinned at the look on her daughter's face – which was pure shock. "You were giving Éclair a hug. I felt like you needed one too."

"…?"

"I know it wasn't what you were expecting. We left a pretty sour impression on you the last we saw each other. I'm ashamed to admit, but I was an awful mother back then."

Draco was still in shock, even more so hearing what Narcissa was saying.

"You must have been so lonely."

Draco didn't know how to respond. Her mother was acting very strangely. She was acting like…well…a mother!

"Well!" Narcissa chirped excitedly. "I've been talking to your father and we have agreed to be more involved in your life. We also agreed to not question who is in your life and what you do with yourself – unless it's necessary."

"…And is it necessary now?"

Narcissa laughed at her daughter's uncertainty. "I don't think so. Not yet."

Draco nodded her head. She glanced at her mother. "So…are you okay with me adopting someone?"

"… I would be lying if I said I'm alright with adopting, but I've decided to support you and your decisions. Besides, Éclair seems like quite the angel."

Draco had a ghost of a smile on her face. "Yes, she truly is."

"Then I'm happy for you, and I'm glad that I finally have a granddaughter! It's been so long!" Narcissa moaned in mock-impatience.

Draco's smile broadened at her mother's obvious attempt at humour. "It hasn't been _that_ long."

"Are you joking? I was actually worried!" Narcissa shouted, aghast.

Draco shook her head, glad and unsure of this turn of event with Narcissa. This was the first time that they had a mother-to-daughter talk.

"But on a serious note, I'm very happy that your life seems to be turning out for the better."

"Well, to be honest, Mother, I wouldn't say it's smooth sailing," Draco said.

"_I_ would say it's getting there. So, you and Harry, huh?" Narcissa nudged, a bit of glimmer shining in her eyes.

"What about Harry?" Draco asked, not picking up where the conversation was going.

"I never thought you two would be together after Harry was declared alive and single just a few days prior."

Draco looked at her stupidly. "Mother, Harry didn't really disappear. He just didn't want the spotlight directed on him. He wanted to be a teacher at Hogwarts, but ended up becoming commander of the Special Operations Division of the Ministry of Magic."

"Special Operations Division. So he's your commanding officer?"

"Pretty much," Draco answered.

"Won't doing the same work get in the way of your relationship?"

"Relationship? Mother, what do you… No. _Please_ tell me you don't think that I'm going out with_ Potter_ of all people."

"Relax, dear. You don't have to pretend. Remember what I said? We'll support you, no matter what. "

"But we're _not_ going out. We can hardly tolerate each other."

"Mhm. A likely excuse." Narcissa was clearly unconvinced. "Well, you can keep up with the charade for as long as you like. But I'm not as patient as to wait for you to get over your embarrassment. Right now, your father and Harry are having a little talk as we speak."

At that, Draco completely froze. She silently hoped what she heard was a joke. But knowing her parents, that's exactly what they would do.

She had forgotten that Harry slept the night in her manor. Now he was awake, speaking with her father.

Oh Merlin, _why_?

* * *

Troy Van Der Merwe, head of the Floo Network Authority, was sitting in his usual place as he and his colleagues regulated the usage of the transportation medium.

It had been a habitual day for Troy. Everything seemed to be in place and nothing out of the ordinary occurred.

That was until something bizarre suddenly _did_ occur.

"Mr. Van Der Merwe?" a colleague had called in a somewhat dumbfounded manner, never taking his eyes off the Floo Network Circuitry Screen.

Troy approached the man, wondering why he seemed so befuddled. "Yes, what's the matter?"

"I don't know if the network is acting up, or it's my imagination, sir, but can you look at this?"

Troy followed the man's finger, pointed at a very specific spot. The man's eyes furrowed the more he understood what he's colleague was on about.

"I…truly have no idea what's going on. That's impossible," Troy said.

"So I'm not the only one seeing this. Do you think the network needs some checking into?"

"Hmm. Perhaps, but since we're not the only faction in the Department of Magical Transportation, it would take a tremendous amount of time to regulate paperwork… Where is that thing going, anyway?"

His colleague was as lost as he was. "I can't be sure, sir. But from what I've gathered, which isn't much, I'd guess its heading for Gringotss?"

Van Der Merwe massaged his chin, thinking a mile a minute. They were running out of time to trace this anomaly. "Right. I'm going to contact Bill and Kingsley. Maybe the Aurors know something. Keep monitoring while I'm away."

"Yes, sir, but I don't know how much time we have until I lose it."

"Never mind that. Just keep track of it."

* * *

"For the last time, Mr. Malfoy, there is _nothing _between your daughter and I," Harry groaned, exasperated.

"Listen to me very carefully, Potter. The fact that you think there's nothing between you and Draco means you_ think_ your relationship has 'no strings attached', as the youth say. But you're not getting away with something as flimsy as that excuse. I am her father, and no matter what we have been through, Draco is still my only child. I will not have her honour sullied by you looking for a good time and nothing else."

Harry would have gaped like a fish if he wasn't so serious at the moment. Lucius took his entire statement and completely misunderstood it. For the past thirty or so minutes, he sat in the living room and had been trying to dissuade Lucius' completely random belief that he was dating Draco.

This was actually pretty weird, Harry mused. Lucius was acting like a father who was about to entrust his daughter with a man he didn't necessarily like, but tolerated.

Although Harry tried valiantly to correct the older Malfoy's misguided assumption, it seemed like he was talking to nothing more than a brick wall, for Lucius found the means to twist whatever he said into something terrible. The few conclusion that Lucius had come to so far was that Harry was nothing more than a womanising, cheating, affair seeking brute that was carelessly playing with Draco's heart.

It was funny seeing the usually stoic Malfoy trying to act like an intimidating figure. It reminded Harry of Snape, in a sense.

"Mr. Malfoy, I keep telling you that you're misunderstanding what I'm saying. Draco and I have not started dating, or become intimate. We're merely _colleagues_."

"So is that what you're going to go with?"

"… It's the truth."

"I see. So after years of disappearance. You just randomly show up yesterday, _together_ with Draco."

"… It wasn't random… We're colleagues."

"And I'm supposed to believe all that nonsense?"

"Oh Merlin save me," Harry moaned into his hands, giving up on trying to explain himself.

"Merlin won't save you from me, boy."

"Father, please, that's enough," Draco said, emerging from the stairs that led to the many rooms of the manor.

"She's quite right, dear. I think it's about time for us to leave," Narcissa said.

Lucius eyed his wife. Narcissa was holding the young Veela's hand as she led the child downstairs. His granddaughter. Now that he thought about it, he had yet to have a conversation with her.

Sending one more warning glare to the flabbergasted Potter, he rose from his sit on the sofa and approached Narcissa and Éclair.

The Veela fidgeted on the spot, even when Narcissa squeezed her hand reassuringly.

Draco watched her father approach Éclair in trepidation. She loved him, but even he had a knack to be frosty when it came to dealing with half-blood individuals. She prayed that just this once, he would make an exception.

Lucius stopped within reach of the little Veela. His cold eyes bored into hers, and Éclair started shivering in fright.

Even Narcissa was watching her husband with a guarded gaze.

"What's your name, child?"

Éclair almost jumped at Lucius' voice, but she gathered her wits quickly. "E-Éclair, sir."

"Éclair," Lucius ran the name on his tongue, as if memorising every syllable. "Come here."

Éclair shifted a nervous glance to her supposed grandmother. Narcissa offered her little support however; she looked troubled herself as she let her hand go.

Éclair tentatively approached Lucius. She took carefully steps, as if each one was her last.

Once she was close enough, she stood stock-still.

Lucius stretched a hand, and Éclair shut her eyes in fear.

But her eyes shot open when she felt Lucius softly caress her head. She stared at her grandfather with confused and timid eyes.

Lucius bent down until he was almost eye-level with Éclair. "If it wasn't for the fact I am already aware of Draco's condition, I would have definitely mistaken you for her real daughter."

He stood up suddenly, surprising Éclair, and retracted the hand on her head in haste. "Let us depart, Narcissa."

Narcissa quickly bent down and kissed the Veela's forehead. "I look forward to seeing you again. You're just so adorable."

Éclair was shocked for only a few seconds, but then nodded happily, giving Narcissa a brimming smile.

Narcissa quickly joined her husband and grabbed his arm. "We'll call you the next time we visit."

"You had better be here, Potter," Lucius warned, peering at the seated man, who could nothing but hang his head.

"Draco, I approve of my grandchild," said Lucius as Draco led her parents to the door.

Narcissa got one more hug in. She whispered into Draco's ear. "Perhaps you and Harry aren't together. But why not give it a chance? You're not getting any younger, you know? Besides, Lucius and I approve of him, too. Isn't it worth at least testing the waters?"

"Mother… I-"

"You can't honestly reason that you don't like each other. If that's the case, why is he here,_ with_ you? And why were you so hysterical when he fainted yesterday?"

"What are you two conspiring?" Lucius interrogated, finding their prolonged hug suspicious.

Narcissa let Draco go and turned to her husband. "It's a girl thing, dear. You wouldn't understand."

She grabbed his arm again and dragged him along. "Bye, sweetie, see you soon!"

Draco waved as her parents used a nearby passage to travel through the Floo Network.

She stood outside her porch for a few more seconds. She could not believe how…great she felt. She expected her parents to be as cold as the last time she saw them. She didn't expect them to visit feeling guilty and remorseful for how they treated her before.

She felt light, like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

She sauntered into her home and was greeted by her daughter.

"I like Grandma, she's nice."

Draco raised a brow, smiling all the while. "And your grandfather?"

"…He's a bit scary, but not bad."

Draco grinned at her answer. She ruffled the little girl's head playfully. "Get yourself ready. I'll make us some breakfast."

"Okay, Mama!" the little girl cheered. She ran up the stairs.

Draco took a deep breath and exhaled sharply. She turned her head to one more issue.

She sat right next to Harry, and watched him in deep thought. After some time, Potter decided to speak.

"Your father was pretty convinced that we are a couple."

"He misunderstood our relationship. You know that," she replied matter-of-factly.

"… What exactly _is_ our relationship?"

She was surprised he actually asked that.

"…"

She could not answer. I mean, it would be easy to say that they were something akin to frenemies, but…

What about last night, when they held each other's hands? Draco wasn't naïve. She definitely felt something. Plus, they did make out before.

This situation was getting more awkward. They could barely look at each other the same way! Draco had no idea how to respond. She had hoped Harry would dwindle the thinking by acting like an arse again. But right now, he seemed as confused as she was.

Also, there was the whole magical burst Harry pulled. She wanted to know what the hell that was, but she didn't think he would answer.

They were both spared anymore tension when her telephone rang.

She grabbed it quickly, desperate for a distraction. "Hello?"

"_Vice Commander Malfoy. Terribly sorry of the intrusion,"_ she was thankful dammit, _"but I couldn't get in contact with Commander Potter and Bill Weasley informed me to contact you."_

So it was the Ministry calling.

"Okay, get on with it."

"_Of course. My name is Troy Van Der Merwe and I am head of the Floo Network Authority."_

"Why are you calling me?"

"_Yes, well, we've had a bit of a problem. There has been unauthorised usage of the network. We spotted three individuals headed for Gringotss. Two were unauthorised, while the third was recognised by the network. We were wondering if anyone from your division is aware of this?"_

"… That's impossible. The Floo Network has the highest security measures. No one I know has that kind of authority to go through it unless registered. When did this happen?"

"_Thirty minutes ago, Ma'am."_

"So what has Bill said about it?"

"_Bill has prior engagements with the Aurors. He cannot provide assistance."_

Draco clicked her tongue. "You said that they were headed for the bank, right?"

"_It's merely hypothetical at this point, but that's what we believe."_

"Very well. I'm heading there now. Contact the Department of Communication and keep me posted via Enchanted Coin."

"_Enchanted Coin, Ma'am? But it provides little means for comm-"_

"Not the standard coin, you nitwit. The Department of Communication's coins."

"_Oh! Understood. We'll keep you posted of any events."_

Draco hung the phone quickly and went up the stairs. She came down a moment later, wearing her Auror coat.

"Éclair, sweetie, something's come up and Mama has to go! You can eat what I prepared that's in the fridge!" Draco shouted.

"Okay, Mama – be safe!" Éclair yelled back from up the stairs.

Before she could get any further, Harry stood in her way.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"There's an emergency. I need to go."

He stopped her by grabbing her shoulders.

"Let me go, Potter!" she shouted, startled and slightly confused. Looking into his eyes made her heart beat faster, and her body started warming up.

"Let me come with you."

"You are on leave. You are not allowed to be involved in Ministry matters."

Harry sighed in defeat. He should have expected as much. "Fine… but be careful."

Not expecting that in a million years, Draco visibly blanched. "W-What?"

"If this emergency is anything like yesterday, then you need to be on high alert."

"I know that!" she replied, squirming in his holds.

But Harry wasn't done, he stared deep into her eyes then. "If anything happens, I mean_ anything_, call me and I'll be there immediately."

Draco was too stunned to move. The way he stared at her made her stomach do backflips. "I…uh…"

"_Isn't it worth at least testing the waters?"_

Draco shook her head, trying to focus on the task at head. She freed herself from his hands. "F-fine, whatever!"

She stormed to her front door. Before leaving, she turned to Harry. "Just go already. Éclair will be safe here, and I'm sure you've got better things to do."

Harry nodded.

She took a deep breath and exhaled again.

"…I'll call you if anything happens. You had_ better_ be there."

It was said very softly. Harry almost missed it, but he nodded at her.

The moment Draco left, Éclair came downstairs.

"Are you leaving now, Mr. Potter?"

"Yes, I am."

He prepared to apparate. But Éclair had more to say.

"I think you and Mama would be great together."

Harry froze. He turned his head to the Veela.

She merely smiled sweetly at him. "Have a safe trip. I hope to see you soon!"

From then on, she went to her fridge, taking out the necessary foods to have breakfast.

Harry stood there a moment longer, eyeing Éclair.

She seemed to really like him, even though he hadn't treated her as fondly.

He apparated out of the area, feeling a bit conflicted.

* * *

As soon as he appeared in his apartment, Harry was prepared to collect potions and immediately head to the Ministry, but was thwarted when he literally fell on top of someone.

He was astonished that someone else was actually in his apartment, but what was more staggering were the oh so familiar brown eyes staring into his jade.

"Hi, Harry," Cho greeted, grinning at him even though she was alarmed.

They were both still, him on top and her at the bottom.

Harry stared at her for a good minute, wondering if he was dreaming or was Merlin really screwing with him.

"I'm not really against this," Cho mentally kicked herself for being so foward, "but do mind getting off me?"

"Cho, what was that sou… What are you two doing?"

Harry bolted upright and straightened his clothes. He turned to the other person who spoke, and his eyes narrowed.

"Hermione?"

"Is that how you greet a friend now? Shame on you, Harry," Hermione admonished. She stood with a broom in one hand and a duster in the other. She wore an apron in the front, most likely to cover her clothes from dirt.

"How did you get in here?" he simply asked.

Hermione took out a key from her pocket. "I made a spare from yours, just in case I needed it."

Before he could accuse her of breaching his privacy, Cho spoke up.

"Sorry we came unannounced, Harry. It was meant to be a surprise, although we didn't take you apparating here into account."

For her part, Cho wore a similar apron to Hermione's. Her hands were covered in wet dish washing gloves. And judging by the sink, she had been busy until he surprised her.

One thing was for sure, he didn't see any of this coming.

* * *

Draco had used the Floo Network to appear a few blocks close to Gringotss. She quickly went into a strut and blended into the busy streets. She took out a coin from her coat pocket.

"Weasley Ronald," she said aloud.

The coin blinked azure five times, then Ron's voice penetrated the void.

"_Malfoy? What's up?"_

"Where are you?" she grilled.

There was silence on the other side. No doubt Ron was surprised by her rough voice.

"_I'm at the Ministry, why?"_

"Come to Gringotss as soon as possible," she ordered.

"_Listen here, you, I'm also Vice Commander here-"_

"Be at the corner block before Gringotss in five minutes. End transmission."

The azure glow immediately disappeared. She was in a hurry. She had no time to listen to his petty, "you must respect me, too", mantras.

She was getting closer to Gringotss. But before she could get nearer, the coin in her pocket began beeping, asking for confirmation from a transmission.

She took it out again, and then heard another voice. _"Greetings, Vice Commander Malfoy."_

"Who am I speaking to?"

"_Guro'ar. I am a Goblin at Gringotss Wizarding Bank. I was told by Mr. Van Der Merwe to contact you if anything suspicious arises."_

"So what's the matter?"

"_Earlier today, three young females entered. One of them wished to make a withdrawal. It did not seem unusual, until she directed me to the vault she wished to use."_

"And what's so special about the vault?"

"… _It was the Lestrange Family Vault."_

Draco stopped mid-walk, taken aback. The Lestrange Family were all but extinct. It wasn't impossible for a Lestrange member to be still alive and free from the law, but ever since the second Wizarding War, that particular vault had never been touched or queried upon.

"_I can gander by your silence that you are surprised as well. But it does not end there. Before she could make a withdrawal, I had asked her for her name." _

"… And what was her name?" There was no way it was the name she was thinking. That vile woman died. They all know she died.

"_Bellatrix Lestrange."_

No. That didn't make_ any_ sense.

"That's not possible. Bellatrix Lestrange was killed by Molly Weasley."

"… _It was confirmed when she touched the vault."_

Draco didn't move from the spot. A sense of dread was starting to fill her.

What in Merlin's name was going on here?

* * *

_**Wow, it took me a loooooooooooooooooong time to come back to this one. I thought of giving up on it and continuing on with Counselling II, but it felt pretty weak leaving the story like this. So I just decided, for the hell of it, to continue it. If yall like it, please tell me. If you don't, then I'll just settle for putting this story into the 'what if' category.**_

_**I edited some mistakes I made. Feel free to point me to more.**_


	9. Phase 01: Foundation

**Chapter 9: Phase 01: Foundation.**

.

"And what else can you tell us?" Draco asked.

She, Ron and Guro'ar were situated in an unoccupied area inside the bank. The greyish metallic-like walls made it seem like it was some kind of mini-vault. Not much else about the place, aside from the dull chairs and table they currently occupied.

The goblin massaged his chin in thought. After a few seconds, he shook his head.

Ron, who sat directly beside Draco, exhaled in exasperation. "So…Bellatrix came here with two other women, withdrew whatever the hell she came for, and disappeared just like that?"

"It would be impossible not to have witnesses, however. The Bank was quite busy when they arrived."

Ron shook his head. "Everyone we came across did not see or hear about the three."

Draco put her two cents in, "Someone might come along sooner or later. This problem is bigger than just witnesses, though. For one, you said that the Lestrange Vault positively identified Bellatrix, right?"

"Correct," responded Guro'ar.

"But how are we sure that the person really _is_ Bellatrix? Like I mentioned before, she shouldn't even be alive."

"Well, in all honestly, the person in question did not necessarily_ look_ like any for the pictures that held Bellatrix Lestrange... No, I'm wrong. She did look like her, except she was exceedingly younger."

That got both Ron and Draco's attention.

"Younger? How younger?" Ron asked quickly.

"I'd say in her late twenties. Possibly as close as to you, Vice Commander Weasley."

At the answer, Ron scratched his head. "Things keep making less sense. With everything that's happening in this world, I can't tell what from what anymore. It would be presumptuous to think Bellatrix had a daughter. But it isn't impossible…right? No, it definitely is. Never mind."

Draco continued the conversation. "Right, let's forgo Bellatrix enquires for now. Tell me more about the other two women."

"They wore the same clothing as Bellatrix: white robes with red strips on each end. One was tall and had long brownish, blonde hair, while the other one was short and had black hair. The shorter one's eyes seemed quite different from anything I've seen."

"Elaborate please," Ron coaxed.

"Her pupils were something akin to slits that were noticeable on dragons. I cannot not be sure if _my_ eyes were playing tricks on me, but that's what I can recall.

"Eyes like a Dragon? I really feel like I'm in a different world right now. She was human, correct?"

Guro'ar nodded at Ron.

The young Weasley sighed wearily. "This is seriously going to give me a headache."

Guro'ar looked at Draco. She seemed pale, like she had seen a ghost.

"Are you alright, Vice Commander Malfoy?"

At the mention of her name, Draco focused. "Tell me, the shorter one…was she loudmouthed and somewhat energetic?"

Guro'ar's eyes widened. "Why yes. In fact, she was quite vocal. I can recall the taller one saying her name admonishingly numerous times. But I just can't remember what that name was."

"… Darana, perhaps?" Draco supplied hesitantly, hoping she was wrong.

Her worst fears were realised.

"Yes! That's exactly what the taller one had said. She was very serious the entire time, yet the shorter would complained a great deal about boredom."

Ron didn't hear the last bit of the goblin's statement. He was staring at Draco, immensely surprised by her knowledge.

Draco grimaced. Things were looking worse each second.

So, the supposed quarter-Dragon and her sister accompanied the alleged Bellatrix to Gringotss to make a withdrawal and suddenly left without anyone seeing anything? Draco could not believe how bad her luck was right now.

Darana and her sister, Cynthia if she remembered correctly, had made quite an impression when they cornered her and Harry in the forest behind her manor. She had never in her life seen such display of magic from anyone. But Darana, as small as she was, seemed quite powerful. The worst part was that Darana wasn't even acting serous when she attacked Harry, more like playing around and gauging his reactions.

The room was quite for a few more seconds, then Draco said, "Anything else?"

Guro'ar massaged his chin, giving it some more thought. "Well, I don't think it's anything specific or detrimental. But when I asked Bellatrix as to the reason why she chose to use the Vault after years of absence, which was merely out of curiosity of course, she informed me that it was for the Great Slytherin."

"The Great Slytherin? Does she mean Sillest?" Ron queried.

Guro'ar shook his head. "There was no further elaboration. That is all she said, and I did not think it was right to pry further at the time, in favour of client confidentiality."

"That's a shame then. It still doesn't give us much to analyse," Ron stated.

Draco gave Ron a quick glance and stood. She stretched a hand to the goblin. "Thank you for your time, Guro'ar."

The creature took her hand and shook it in exercised rehearse. "I wish there was more I could add. But I cannot I'm afraid."

"What you've given us is plenty enough."

Ron stood up and shook the goblin's hand as well. "Please call us if anything new occurs."

"I will be sure to, Vice Commander Weasley. I trust that you will enjoy the rest of your day."

"Thanks, same to you."

Both Aurors walked out of the room side-by-side.

"Who is Sillest?" Draco started, keeping her gaze straight ahead.

Ron flinched at the questioned, not expecting it. "What?"

"You heard me, Weasley. You mentioned Sillest when Guro'ar mentioned the Great Slytherin. So, who is that?"

Caught off guard, Ron stumbled on his words a bit. He became aware that only he, Harry and a select few were aware of the ex-Auror's activities. The other members of the Special Ops had no clue of the details.

It was too late to hide it, however. No matter how much Harry didn't want to get more people involved in his vendetta, Ron felt like it was inevitable.

"Remember Sillest Riddle?" he asked.

Draco turned to him and raised an eyebrow. "The crazy bitch that went psycho one night and killed Potter's family, then offed herself?"

Ron's eyes hardened at her blasé demeanour, but he still nodded. "That's the one… She's alive."

Draco's eyes narrowed in confused surprise. "What do you mean alive? She killed herself with the Killing Curse."

"I know. That's what everyone who was there said. But no, she sent Harry a message just a couple of days ago."

Draco mused aloud. "So that's why he's been extra grumpy."

Ron gave her a confused look.

"So how do you know this Darana girl?"

It was Draco's turned to exude nervousness. She avoided Ron's gaze and stared ahead.

"Long story short, she attacked Harry and I then left. That's all that happened."

Before Ron could grill as to when and why was Harry with her, Draco cut him off.

"That's all!" she hissed, not in the mood of explaining Harry's involvement with her.

They went out of the bank. The busy streets were littered with individuals clad in Auror ropes. It looked like all the Special Ops Aurors strewed the area.

Ron and Draco made a beeline to the Aurors closest to them.

"Kate, Annabelle!" Ron called.

The two women perked up at the mention of their names.

"Yo, Vices, got anything from the little guy?" Kate addressed.

Ron rolled his eyes. "You come back after a month in the French branch and haven't changed at all."

Kate shrugged her shoulders. "They tried to tame me… Sucked to be them."

"Never mind that. Did you guys find anything?" Ron asked.

"Nope, that's why I'm asking you," Kate answered.

"Just little information for now. So, Malfoy, care to explain how you encountered_ Darana_?"

Draco gave Ron a long, angry look – upset that he wasn't letting up.

"Who is Darana?" Annabelle asked, curious.

"Yeah, should we know her?" Kate added.

"She's one of the suspects," Ron clarified.

That got both girls' attention.

Draco sighed; now would be impossible to keep everything under the rug.

She brushed it off in the end. What the hell was she afraid of? So she was with Harry the day prior – what of it? It wasn't such a big deal anyway!

"I'll tell you once everyone is done searching for clues."

She swiftly turned away from them, walked a few feet and took out her coin.

"Potter Harry," she announced.

The coin blinked scarlet a total of five times before an answer.

"_Draco, what's the matter? Are you okay?"_

Harry's voice was surprisingly loud. It forced Draco to look around fretfully. She had hoped that no one had heard that. Fat chance, nevertheless.

Every Special Op that was in earshot was staring at her in complete astonishment, even Ron had his jaw open.

Silently cursing Harry for unwittingly making the situation awkward, Draco tried to speak as neutral as possible, but the heat she felt on her face was mortifying. "I-I'm fine, Harry. But listen! Darana and Cynthia were here at the bank with Bellatrix. I have no idea if it's the same Bellatrix we know of. But keep on guard. They were able to tamper with the Floo Network, so they're might be capable of anything."

"… _Do you know where they went? Has anyone seen anything?"_

"We're still looking for witnesses. Look…I'll probably be busy the entire day…Oh Merlin…I," she looked up to the sky, breathed labouredly and begged for mercy, "I need you to look after Éclair. I can't be sure that the wards I put up will be strong enough to protect her."

"… _I see. I just need to…deal with a few things then I'm on my way to your manor. Call me if anything else happens."_

Draco could feel everyone trying to burn a hole in the back of her head. She hung it in embarrassed defeat. "Yeah…sure. End transmission."

The coin stopped transmitting, and it was as if the streets grew silent altogether.

Draco dared to look at her colleagues. She wished she hadn't.

Ron was doing some weird hand notions near his face, as if trying to rationalise what he just saw.

Kate, along with everyone else, just stared at her.

When she had enough, Draco glared at the lot. "What!? Aren't you supposed to be getting intel about the intruders!?"

Kate was the first to get over the shock. "I don't freaking believe it."

Henry, another Auror, was second to catch his wits and couldn't help but give his Vice Commander an incredulous stare. "This isn't a prank, right? I just heard that?"

"I never knew you and Commander Potter were that familiar with each other," Annabelle said, her look was a mixture of surprise and frustration.

"That might explain why I saw you at his apartment that one morning," Ron murmured, just a little too loudly.

Everyone's eyes widened, shifting their gazes from Ron to her again.

Draco couldn't help but smack her forehead.

* * *

As soon as the transmission ended, Harry had a very disbelieving Hermione staring at him.

"That was Draco?" she asked.

"Yes," Harry answered, although he was starting to get uncomfortable with the way the Weasley woman was ogling at him.

"… I thought Ron was joking about that," she muttered.

"What?" Harry asked, having not heard anything.

"Nothing," Hermione waved it off.

They were all seated on the small dining room in Harry's apartment. Cho had been relatively quiet, nervous actually. She fidgeted lightly in her seat. Although Harry hadn't noticed her, Hermione was more perceptive.

"Now, let's get this over with," Harry announced, staring down Hermione.

Hermione frowned at him, displeased with his attitude. "Don't make it sound like we're nuisances. Have you forgotten that you're on leave and I _can _come here?"

Harry grumbled under his breath, not sure how to counter her.

"And after all these years of not seeing me, I don't get quite the warm welcome I was hoping for," Cho included.

Harry glanced at her and then quickly turned to Hermione again. "What do you want?"

Frown not leaving her face, Hermione's eyes narrowed. "Could it kill you to stop being so rude?"

"Not likely when you come to my place without permission."

"It was meant to be a surprise," Cho reiterated, pouting. "And is there a reason why you refuse to look at me?"

Harry finally looked at her. Cho felted slightly frightened from the edge in his eyes. She was told extensively how he changed; how much darker his outlook was. Her first instinct was to shrink into herself, but that would be a bad move. Harry wasn't being mean because he hated her. No, it was just a defence mechanism – a way to keep people away. She knew that all too well.

So, she didn't falter; she stared back at him, keeping her intensity soft. She even offered him a warm smile.

It worked. His gaze faltered, but he tried to keep it up.

"Why are you here?"

"Am I not allowed to see you?"

Harry got angrier.

"Listen, Cho, I'm not in the mood for idle chit-chat-"

"When are you ever?" Hermione interrupted, rolling her eyes.

Harry glared at her, then turned back to Cho. "Can you get to your reasons? I'm busy today."

"And that's my cue." Hermione swiftly stood up, grabbed her coat and quickly waved at the pair. "We're having dinner on Sunday at seven. Don't be late, you two."

Harry and Cho stood as well. But before Harry could pry on Hermione's choice of words, she had already hightailed it out of there.

It was just him and Cho. Harry was getting fed up of not getting a straightforward answer from anyone. He pivoted to her.

"Now before you get more upset, please give me an opportunity to explain myself," Cho said quickly.

Harry stopped himself from speaking, giving her a chance.

Cho breathed in and out. "Okay… Uhm, there's a lot of explaining I need to do, I know that. And I'm pretty sure you're wondering why I'm just randomly showing up in your life. It's honestly a long story. I can't possibly explain everything now, but I would really like the chance to."

Harry gave her a weird look. "What do you mean by that?"

Cho smiled at him, her nerves starting to get the best of her. "Well, like Hermione mentioned, she's having dinner on Sunday. I would really like to catch up with you, if you don't mind accompanying me?"

Harry wasn't dumb enough not to see where she was headed. She was pretty blunt, all things considered.

"I hope you're not asking me out," Harry said warningly.

"I am. There's so much I want to talk to you about."

She was hoping that he would make it easier on her. She was trying to be as open as she could with him, giving him little room to distrust her.

"No, now leave," Harry said rather loudly, peering at her.

She didn't move, standing in one place and looking like she was actually thinking about it.

After some time, she finally said, "Do you have any idea how_ hard_ it is for a girl to even ask a guy out straightforwardly? And you're not even going to think about it?"

Harry stepped closer to her, looking very threatening. "Did you really think that it was going to play out the way you wanted? You just show up, from out of nowhere, and I'd be all interested? Did you really think that I'd give a damn that you're back from Merlin knows where and I still had feelings for you? Our time ended in Hogwarts, Chang. Now get out of my sight."

Cho finally allowed her own anger to show. "No, I'm not going."

"Get a clue, Cho, our relationship ended in tatters! You made it clear then where you stood."

She hated the fact that he saw it that way, but she didn't deny it. "Yes, Harry, you're right. I was in love with Cedric. Even when we were together, I thought of him. But I loved you too, I'm still in love with you. I know I made a mess of things, I know! I spent years thinking about it; thinking about what could have been. I regretted my decisions, but I didn't and will _never_ regret my feelings for Cedric. He was precious to me; you're precious to me. It was so difficult giving myself to you completely because I never had the chance to properly end things with him before he was killed."

"I'm aware, and what's done is done. I moved on, so did you. Now all of a sudden you show up just when the world knows about the death of my family! What, you thought I wouldn't see straight through you!? Huh!? Answer me!?"

Cho's look was one of pure flabbergast. She stared at him with visible hurt. Harry felt a tad guilty in making her feel that way, but he wasn't about to back down.

Cho fought the tears that were threatening to appear. Hermione wasn't joking after all. Harry was nearly impossible to have a conversation with. She was warned that he would try to dissuade her from even attempting something akin to a relationship between them. But to experience such a spiteful attitude up close was really putting her to the test. What he said offended her immensely, so much so that she just wanted to give in to her baser instincts and fight him. There was so much she could take before she let her anger get the best of her.

But she did her best to cool down. If she got incensed, if she was wrathful, then she would only be playing into his hands. She would lose it and that might be the end of their reunion.

She just furrowed her brows, letting him know that she wasn't at all happy with what he said. "That is so incredibly arrogant of you, Harry. How can you stand there and accuse me like that? How can you shame me and deem me opportunistic?"

"It's the truth, isn't it?"

Now she was livid.

"That's unfair! It's so easy for to see it that way, isn't it!? You think that I'm just a fan-girl who found out that you lost everything dear to you and felt like fitting into your perfect little world?! That I've come crawling back wanting fame and fortune now that Ginny's out of the picture?! Get over yourself! I've never stopped loving you since Hogwarts! No matter who I was with, I could never stop thinking of my time with you, and how I'd wish things_ had_ been different! But I knew that I blew any chance I had! So, I _forced_ myself to move on!"

Harry was momentarily stunned by her shout and Cho took full advantage of it.

"I was happy for you. I was happy that you had someone that loved you and _not_ your name. I was happy that Ginny gave you a wonderful daughter. So when I found out that they were both killed, I grieved, I ached, I cried for you, knowing how much pain you must have experienced! I didn't just read up about it one day and think, 'OH, NOW'S MY BIG CHANCE TO BE MRS. HARRY POTTER!'"

"Don't think for a second you can relate to me! You know nothing of what it's like to lose a family!"

Cho glared brutally. The way her right hand was shaking made Harry aware that she was holding herself back from slapping him.

She hissed, imitating a Slytherin perfectly. "So we're playing whose death is better now, huh? Cedric's death could never compare to Ginny and Lily's – no. Ginny and Lily's deaths are much more important than some lowly student who wasn't even married. Forget about the loved ones that lost someone precious to them. Forget about the father that lost his son. Forget about the girlfriend that was traumatised by it all. No, that death wasn't important, so I could never understand you, right? The loss I experienced was puny compared to yours, right?"

Harry couldn't respond, honestly feeling like he insulted not only Cedric but his own late family as well.

"Well, I know damn well I can relate to you! You can't compare someone's death to someone else! How disrespectful must you be?! I know what the pain feels like! I know the loneliness, the hurt, the fear! I thought about keeping people away, too! I know what a freaking mess you are! How you think that being an arsehole will save you from more heartache!"

Harry made to interrupt, but Cho persisted.

"Well, news flash, Harry, they're people who don't _care_ how much crap _you_ throw at them! They'll keep coming back because they know that's what you _need_. You can try to chase me away all you want. You can insult me to the point where I want to freaking strangle you! But I'm not going away! I love you Harry James Potter, and I'm not going anywhere! All I'm asking is for you to give me a chance, to be friends if nothing else."

He noted how softer she said the last part. He was amazed by her honestly and openness. He had been under the impression that she was trying to manipulate him in her favour. "So you're doing me a favour? Is that it?"

Cho wrinkled her nose, apparently not liking what he said. "I'm doing this for me just as I am for you. I'm not going to sugarcoat it and say that it's all for you, Harry. I'm not _that_ selfless and I have no intention of lying to you."

He had hoped she wouldn't have said something along those lines. Truthfully, when he saw her in the park with Hermione, he had been entranced by how even more beautiful Cho had gotten, and maybe he wasn't over her as much as he would have liked to think. But those were fleeting feelings, and he promptly squashed them.

He never thought he'd see her again so soon. And he never would have thought that she would be so adamant in getting close to him, not for the sake of his fame or feeling sorry for him, but from lingering affection. Of course, the first thought on his mind was to quickly and mercilessly reject her. But Cho had proven without a shadow of doubt that she was not going to let his behaviour stop her. She wanted him, apparently never stopped wanting him. And now that she'd come this far, she wasn't going to turn back.

Then there was Ginny. He could never forget her. And the thought of being with someone else seemed like betraying her in a sense. He knew she would hate the way he was now. She would scold him and tell him to be happy. But he just wouldn't find it in his heart to do so. He didn't know if he could.

After a long lapse of silence, Cho continued on, "I know me coming here must be still shocking to you. But I want to let you know that I didn't do it on a whim. I really thought about it, whether to be here or not. In the end, I made up my mind that I would not mess things up again."

She approached him, held his left hand with both of hers and stared lovingly into his eyes. "Please, Harry, please be there on Sunday. I'll be at Hermione's at seven like she mentioned… I'll wait for you."

She slipped a paper into his hands, and gave him his distance back.

She offered him her earnest smile yet. "I'm so happy to see you again, Harry. I have missed you so much all these years."

He only stared at her, his visage stiff and staggered.

She pointed to his hands, "Whenever you're ready, whenever you need me, I'll come running."

With a quick goodbye, Cho left his apartment.

Harry had stood in place for what seemed like hours, dazed. It was sometime before he opened his hands and saw what Cho had given him: a note with her phone number and address.

* * *

"Still nothing?" Draco asked a few Aurors.

"Nothing, ma'am. We've covered as much ground as possible…" one answered.

Draco sighed. It was getting quite late into the afternoon. They were still on the streets around Gringotts. The sun had already begun to change the scenery in the sky orange-like. It would not be too long before sunset.

"Nothing from my side either," Ron said, coming closer to the platinum blonde. "I think it's safe to assume that we're not getting anywhere today."

Although not fully agreeing with the redheaded, Draco nodded in consensus. "I suppose we can call it a day."

"Alright, but I want to make sure that we didn't miss anything. So, everyone else can head back to the Ministry. I'll stay around here for a few more minutes," Ron said.

"Then I will, too," Draco said.

"Are you sure, Vices?" Kate asked.

"It's okay, Kate. If we need your help, we'll call you guys," Draco said.

The team of Special Ops dispersed until only Ron and Draco were left.

It was nothing but awkward silence, until Ron felt like he had enough of it.

"So, why did you choose to stay?" he asked offhandedly.

"We can cover more ground that way. Besides, I'm not letting a Weasley show me up."

Ron's brow twitched, showing his agitation, but soon all emotions gave way to mischief. He smiled teasingly at her, making her uncomfortable.

"Are you sure you shouldn't be heading back _home_?"

She scrutinised him for a good ten seconds. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know," Ron shrugged, mock-absentmindedly. "I mean, if_ I_ was a woman, and I had a _man_ waiting for me, I'd take this scenic opportunity to dash home and romp his socks off."

Draco had never expected Ron to _ever_ tease her. They were usually at each other's throats, bickering just like in their school days. So, she was caught off guard. Her mouth opened and closed several times like a drowning fish as she stared at him. Her cheeks were inflamed, making her look like she was starting to have a fever.

Ron chuckled at her reaction. He didn't expect his comment to work so well. And it proved that there definitely was something going on between Harry and Draco. If there wasn't, then she should have flat-out rebuked him.

Angered by Ron making fun of her, Draco childishly kicked his arse.

"Ow! What the hell!?" Ron shouted.

"I should be saying that, you stupid moron! What the hell are you insinuating!?"

Ron stared at her for a long time. "… I'm amazed that you_ still_ haven't denied it."

"Of course I wouldn't do such a thing!"

"… Nope. Doesn't seem that convincing to me."

Draco snarled at him. "Screw you, Weasley!"

Ron grinned at her, and Draco felt like she said something she shouldn't have.

"Nah, I think that's _Harry's_ job."

He was laughing now, having fun with her visual responses.

Draco didn't know why she suddenly had the urge to hide in the deepest hole imaginable. But she did, and felt like exploding – whether from anger or embarrassment, she couldn't tell.

She settled for huffing and stomping away from him, until she was completely gone.

Ron finally got his laugh out and sighed. "Never in my life did I think I could have such power. Harry, you git, brilliant job."

Draco was walking aimlessly, still sour about Ron's provocation. "Fucking idiot."

She was more upset at the fact that everyone she knew seemed to be running to the habitual conclusion that she was together with Harry. No matter how much she denied it, they never believed her. It was so infuriating…and damn bizarre how easily people were willing to accept their prospective relationship. Even Ron himself, although wrong, didn't seem like he would mind.

Why was that? Her parents, her colleagues – even her own daughter? Have they not forgotten that she and Harry were enemies not so long ago? Or the fact that she had implied on so many occasions that she would kill him, in their Hogwarts days? And why wasn't she so against it either? Were those fucking morons brainwashing her!?

She stopped cold. The streets…they were too quiet.

She looked around, noting no soul in sight. Even buildings that should have been occupied seemed devoid of any sort of life.

"My, it certainly has been a while, ey, Draco?"

Draco quickly looked above her, and her eyes widened out.

There was a woman, wearing the same thing that she had seen on Darana and Cynthia. Her dusky hair was tied into a braid that went passed her shoulders. The robe she wore hugged her body quite sensually, highlighting curves underneath.

But it was her face that had Draco rooted to the spot. The young facial features did little to hide the fact that Draco knew that the person above her was none other than Bellatrix Lestrange.

"You've filled up quite nicely over the years, I see. It wasn't long ago when you were just a thin gal," the raven-head said.

Bellatrix dropped graciously to the ground, landing a few feet in front of Draco.

"Did you miss me?" she asked, smirking.

Draco was still transfixed on Bellatrix's face. She looked so young, no older than Draco herself, and Malfoy could not fathom the contradictions. At least she was somewhat prepared thanks to Guro'ar's input.

"Bellatrix," she proclaimed.

Bellatrix raised a brow, smirk turning into a full-blown grin. "The one and only. I'm glad that you haven't forgotten me. Proves that even in death, people will always remember what they fear."

Draco tried going for her wand, but Bellatrix shook her head admonishingly.

"Draco, Draco, _Draco_. Now, _why_ would you want to start a fight with an unknown enemy? I merely came to catch up with you! We fellow ex-Death Eaters need to rely on each other, after all. I mean, you _were _looking for me, right?"

Draco froze. Bellatrix was right, she had no idea who she was up against. And considering the fact that Bellatrix could fly without any sort of spell and no visible wand, it would be a mistake biting off more than she could chew.

She stood in place, eyeing the demented witch in front of her warily, looking for any opening.

Bellatrix sighed, as if disappointed. "Geez, what's happened to you? You don't trust me?"

"… How are you alive?" Draco hesitantly asked.

Bellatrix's eyes seemed to brighten at the question. "Ah! That's a very good question! And the story is even better! But… I'll leave it up in the air for now. Anything else? Hm? Hm?"

She was acting like it was a game to her, Draco noted. The platinum blonde was on edge, looking all around her, hoping for signs of Ron, dreading signs of Darana and Cynthia.

Bellatrix waved her concerns away. "Relax, relax. I put a spell around this area to avoid interruption. No one will be coming here anytime soon."

Draco was starting to sweat a little, awaiting Bellatrix's next move.

After some time, Bellatrix frowned at her. "C'mon, shouldn't you be asking me questions? Or are you just going to stand there wandering if you're going to soil yourself."

Disturbed by her choice of words, Draco decided to play along – she needed to buy time. "Fine then. Why are you here?"

"Blah! Wrong question! Shouldn't you be asking why I look so_ youthful_, how I'm doing all of this," her eyes narrowed and her smile broadened, "_where_ you are? Because we're_ not_ in the Wizarding World at the moment."

Draco's eyes widened. She quickly looked around…and found nothing to support Bellatrix's claim. She remembered _all_ these buildings…No.

She got a closer look at them. The details were off in some places. Windows were broken when they shouldn't be. Walls were torn apart in places that seemed so sudden from when she saw the places last. It was like…a different world.

"Well, your chance to know has expired!" Bellatrix announced cheerfully. "Now then, on to the real reason I sought you out."

Draco's attention was back on her, visibly apprehensive. What was going on? How was Bellatrix doing this? Maybe Draco was cursed and just hallucinating? Maybe Bellatrix cast some spell on her when she didn't notice. But for some reason, everything seemed too real.

"No worries. Fellow ex-Death Eaters, remember? Would never harm a compatriot! I'm merely here to give you some advice."

"… What is it?"

The raven-head's smile turned crooked.

"Don't trust the Ministry."

That confused Draco more than anything else.

Noting her bewilderment, Bellatrix merely chuckled. "Sounds strange coming from me, doesn't it? And there's also the tinsy-winsy bit where you _are_ part of the Ministry. Sad thing is you are all being played – have been for some time. You know nothing of what's going on behind the scene. And when shit finally hits the fan, you'll be the first casualties."

"I don't understand what you mean. And frankly, I'm sick of these guessing games. You want to say something, say it!"

Bellatrix's brows rose an inch. "There's the Malfoy bravado I've missed so much! You haven't changed a bit! Although talking to me like that would mean your death, I'll forgive you since we have history together. And sorry, but I can't just up and say it. It would ruin the surprise…"

She tilted her head to the side, her grin looking all the more creepy. "How's Harry?"

Not expecting such a change in subject, it took some time for Draco to formulate an answer. "What does it matter to you?"

"Why, I'm young and vibrant. Can't a woman sate her own curiosity?"

Draco's face shifted to that of horror. If Bellatrix was really intending to go after Harry, then Éclair would be in danger, too.

As if reading her mind, Bellatrix laughed. "Joking! But given the chance, who knows? I've been hearing _wonderful_ things about him lately."

"From who?" Draco swiftly asked. Something about all of this was wrong. The way Bellatrix acted made it clear as day that she knew more about her and Harry than she let on.

"Tat, tat, tat. No spoilers – ruins the plot."

"What will you give me an answer to then? It's pretty damn clear you're choosing to be evasive!"

"Point," Bellatrix agreed, "but it's not like I want to be, believe me. However, Sillest made it pretty clear that I should give as little as possible."

That name again.

"Sillest Riddle?"

"Can't answer that," replied Bellatrix.

"You don't have to. It's pretty obvious to-"

Draco stopped herself, stunned.

How could she have not noticed it before? On Bellatrix's chest, was the same seal that Darana had showed off.

Bellatrix followed her gaze. "Hm? You're curious about this? Well, all I can say is that you can thank _Harry_ for this wonderful gift. I know I would."

When Bellatrix purred Harry's name, it forced a shiver out of Draco, but she had to jump at the chance to find out more about the seal.

"Did Harry use that on you?" Draco asked swiftly.

"He invented it," Bellatrix replied.

Draco noticed that Bellatrix did not answer her.

"But did he _use_ it on you?"

"Oh poo! Trust a Slytherin to see through all the gaps. No, Scaredy Cat, he didn't."

For reasons she couldn't explain, Draco felt ten times better hearing that. So, it was safe to assume that more than one person knew how to use Harry's invention. Which meant that someone must have been able to get the knowledge to use the seal. It wasn't something people could read up on and just learn, however. They needed someone with a lot of experience to show them how to perform it. They needed to be there with Harry and study_ from_ him.

She was starting to finally see a picture.

Bellatrix suddenly looked up in surprise. "Whoops! Guess I was here a tad longer than I should have been. Before I go, though, could you give Harry a message for me?"

"What?"

"There's just one more Horcrux. He needs to get it before it's too late."

With that, Bellatrix disappeared, and Draco found herself on a busy street again.

"Hey, watch where you apperate!" someone passing her yelled.

She couldn't believe it. That one sentence reinforced the fact that she was not in the Wizarding World moments ago.

Still, there was no time to waste. The seal, a Horcrux, Bellatrix _and _Sillest alive. There were just too many things to deal with.

She practically jumped when someone grabbed her shoulder.

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you for an hour!" Ron shouted. "Where the hell did you go off to!"

She was about to shout back when she finally processed what he said. An hour? She couldn't have been gone for more than three minutes!

She shrugged out of his hold and started walking to the closest Floo passage. "I'll explain everything tomorrow! I have to go!"

Ron threw his hands up in surrender. He had enough of all this shit. He was going home.

Draco was in a rush. Time was ticking and if Bellatrix was right, something was happening in the Ministry that they weren't being told.

She quickly took out her coin. "Potter Harry!"

"_Draco, what's the matter?"_

"Are you with Éclair?" she immediately asked, a little anxious.

"_Yes, I am, why?"_

"Let me speak to her."

There was a pause on the other side.

"…_like this? Hello, Mama?"_

"Hey, sweetie. How are you doing?" Hearing her daughter's voice helped her to calm down a little.

"_I'm doing okay and you?"_

"I'm fine. Has Harry being giving you any trouble?"

"_No, Mr. Potter was playing Wizard's Chess with me."_

That got Draco curious.

"…Really? Harry? The Harry I know?"

"_Yep! He's pretty funny when he loses!"_

Hearing her daughter's giggles and Harry's grumbles forced a smile out of Draco.

"I'm glad you're having fun, dear. Can you give the coin back to Harry?"

"_Okay! Mr. Potter, Mama wa…"_

"… _I only lost once."_

Draco just couldn't help but smile harder at that. She was glad he couldn't see her. "You don't have to explain yourself to me, you sore loser."

"_Whatever."_

Her smile quickly dropped. "Harry, we need to talk."

"_What is it?"_

"Not here. When I get there. I need you to tell me everything."

"_What_ _do you mean?"_

"I mean _everything_. I don't have to spell it out for you."

"…"

She didn't wait for him to respond. "I'll be there in five minutes. End transmission."

* * *

Up in the air, two figures floated.

"Man, I am _so_ bored. Where the hell is she!?"

"You always complain about boredom, Darana. It is becoming irksome."

Darana blew her sister a raspberry. "It was so much more fun back in Clariayn! This 'Wizarding World' sucks balls! They're all like fucking noobs! Who uses sticks for magic anymore!?"

"Wands, Darana," Cynthia corrected, exasperated. "Be respectful of this world. It was not long ago when you were far weaker."

Darana pouted, folding her arms. "I just want to get this over with already. Hope Queen Sillest finishes up quickly."

"We can only be at peace once she has her King."

"Some King he is. I nearly killed him just by playing around."

"Yet, he showed his potential. That attack I blocked in time would have certainly crippled you."

Darana sighed. "Well, that's what I get for underestimating him. I kind of see why Queen Sillest likes him so much."

"Indeed."

"What are you two talking about?"

Both sisters turned to the voice.

"About time, Bella! I mean seriously, how long does it take just to get a message across!"

Bellatrix actually looked bashful. "Sorry, Darana, I lost track of time."

Darana pouted. "While you were out there having a jolly good time, we waited here, doing nothing!"

Bellatrix turned to Cynthia, smirking all the while. "Does she ever stop?"

"I wish," the sister replied.

"Hey, I'm right here, Bella!"

"Was your endeavour fruitful?" Cynthia asked Bellatrix.

Bellatrix gave her a grin. "Sure was, easier than I expected. All the pieces are in place. It's just a matter of time now."

"Good. Let us take our leave."

All three started flying in a specific direction.

* * *

_**Thanks to everyone who've been taking the time to review my fic. Just went over them yesterday and was surprised with the positive feedback. This chapter was posted in appreciation to you all. And of course I'll keep writing. I love writing. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**To a reviewer: It's okay if you don't get this whole 'Queen Sillest' thing. That part is only touched in passing. But never fear, good sir, you'll get it soon!**_

**_A little heads up. The story is in a neutral phase at them moment. But it's going to get a lot darker soon. Just a word of warning._**

**_Thanks again, and see you next time! _**


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